OUAT season 7
by NightLightning21
Summary: Season 7 of Once Upon A Time! Emma has survived the final battle. But at a cost. Her magic is gone. With the mantle of savior now empty, a young girl comes in that may hold the key. But, Gothel may pose some serious threats to the now endangered town of Storybrooke. Can the town survive? Or will Gothel's actions rip the family apart? Ships- Rumbelle, Snowing, Captain Swan
1. The Queen's Apprentice - Part 1

7x01

The Queen's Apprentice

Part 1

A blinding wave of light magic ripped through Storybrooke, enveloping the whole town. Emma Swan stood at the town line, feeling her magic drain from her. The final battle was over. The wave of light magic had completely destroyed the black fairy. It turned out, wielding the sword only worked if she gave up her magic.

So it just happened. She hadn't chosen to. But suddenly her magic was gone. She struggled to keep standing, looking at the town. Her vision was clearing, and she knew her family would come soon. She had to fight the final battle alone, but they would be with her the minute it was over. She waited, shock still pulsing through her.

"Wait, what?" Regina demanded. She looked at Emma with a fierce intensity.

"I just said," Emma mumbled. "I'm not the savior anymore." The heroes had gathered by the townline, seeing the burst of light magic erupting. The black fairy was dead. And Emma had sacrificed her savior status to do it.

"I'm just as upset as you guys are," Emma said, looking at the group.

"We could've helped you Emma," Hook said, looking at his wife in shock.

"You know that's not true," Emma said, completely understanding. "The battle had to be between the savior and the black fairy. Anyone else would have been terminated by that wave of light magic."

"But now… you're not the savior anymore," Henry chipped in, rapidly consulting his storybook.

"Emma I don't understand," Snow declared. "What does not being the savior even mean for you." Regina beat Emma to the answer.

"It means there's no figure for good. Emma is the only person who automatically gained light magic. Now…" Regina trailed off, obviously imagining a horrible fate. The realization that the savior was gone was slowly dawning among the family. Snow and Charming looked at each other, seeking comfort in each other's gazes. Hook put his hand on Emma's shoulder, clearly shaken, but thinking first of his wife.

"So now what?" Henry asked.

"I think I might be able to answer that." The family whipped around, looking towards the source of the voice. A figure stepped out of the trees, clearly exhausted, and dirty and bloody.

"Gideon?" Snow asked, her face lighting up in horror. The young man's face was bruised, and there was a long cut in one of his arms.

"What happened to you?" Zelena asked, looking genuinely worried.

"I tried to stop the black fairy. She was determined to beat the savior. So she could get her own happy ending," he said, now turning to Emma. There was a hint of accusation in his gaze, that Emma couldn't help but feel guilty about.

"Gideon, what are you going to do now?" David asked, slightly suspicious of Gideon's intentions. Gideon was easily able to catch on.

"Well if you must know, I'm traveling back to the dark realm. There is much work there that needs to be done." David nodded, satisfied with his answer.

"But what about your parents?" Emma asked, knowing that they truly loved their son.

"I'll say goodbye of course. But I don't think I'm the one you should be worrying about. Perhaps start thinking about the savior, Emma." With that, he poofed away, leaving just a trace of red behind. Emma could feel her strength come crashing down. For a brief time, she would still be fueled by the wave of magic, and the adrenaline of the battle. Now, she could feel a heavy, crushing exhaustion taking her down. Her legs wobbled, and buckled underneath her. She collapsed, unconscious in Hook's arms.

Zelena looked at the former savior, feeling incredibly uneasy. Emma has always been a symbol of good. Without Emma, what would happen to Storybrooke? Zelena shook her head, not wanting to think about her potential grim future.

"So what do we do now?" she asked, repeating Henry's million dollar question.

"First things first," Hook said. "We have to get Emma someplace where she can heal."

"Guys," Regina said, her head jerking towards the forest. Snow and David both started into the greenery, trying to figure out what the queen was talking about. Hook shifted so Emma would be more comfortable, and glanced towards the forest.

"What is it?" he asked, his shoulders tensing. Regina and Zelena both exchanged worried glances. Clearly they'd both sensed the same thing.

"Regina? What's going on?" David asked.

"It's just… I sense another force of magic. A strong one. It's coming from the forest." She slowly began walking towards the trees, ready to fight at any moment. Henry closed his book, squinting to peer into the endless sea of green.

"Is it a bad magic, or a good magic?" he asked, nervously drawing closer to his mother.

"I'm not sure," Regina responded. "All I know is that it's powerful."

"Hook, you take Emma back to the house," Snow said, clearly terrified of this new potential threat. Hook nodded, then looked to Regina. She was confused for a moment, before she understood.

"Actually, I think everyone but me and Zelena should go back. We're both trained in magic, even if Zelena lost hers." Zelena involuntarily flinched, when Regina mentioned her lack of magic. Snow and David both agreed, but Henry did not.

"There's no way I'm going back," Henry stated, defiantly. "I can help." He looked at his mother pleadingly. Hook gasped, as Emma sank even lower in his arms.

"We need to go now," he said, looking at his wife. He gently brushed her hair, trying to reassure her.

"You're gonna be fine luv," he whispered. Regina sighed, and gave up. She magicked everyone but her, Zelena and Henry back to the Charmings' home.

"Mom, you think my other mom will be okay?" Henry asked, fear in his eyes.

"I'm sure Emma will be fine," Regina said, hoping she sounded confident. "I'm just not sure about us."

"Should we go? I think-" Zelena was cut off, as a powerful blast of magic slammed into the three of them. They all stumbled a few feet backwards, trying to regain their balance.

"What the hell was that?" Regina asked, looking to the forest. A figure emerged, dressed in a black cloak. She was young, with tan skin, and black hair.

"That was a warning. If you know what's good for you, you should leave very quickly."

"Regina," Zelena hissed. Her sister nodded.

"I know. That was light magic. Savior magic." She turned back to the young girl, studying her.

"Is she the new savior?"

 **Okay, so this basically came from the fear that season 7 is not going to be what we wanted. I'll try my best to create a season 7 that is true to the characters. However I might not get everything right. So basically, during the final battle, Emma sacrificed her magic to defeat the black fairy. However, Storybrooke still needs a savior, so a new (potentially temporary) savior comes. She'll be described in the next chapter. There will the ships of Once on here, as best as I can make them. Please, not hate. Nothing here is canon, just a potential season 7. R &R**

 **NightLightning21**


	2. The Queen's Apprentice - Part 2

7x01

The Queen's apprentice

Part 2

"I already said, get away from me," the young girl said. She glared at the new intruders, her hands still outstretched.

"Let us try and help you," Regina said, cautiously approaching her. The girl prepared to fire again, so Regina quickly knocked her back.

"We're not trying to hurt you. In fact, I think I can help you." The girl sat up, still suspicious.

"I've heard people say that before. And it never worked out." Regina exchanged another glance with Zelena.

"You don't really have a choice here," Zelena explained. "It's either come with us, or wait to get killed by someone else." Her green gaze matched the girl's black one. Finally, the girl resigned, putting down her hands.

"What do want from me?" she asked. Zelena blew out a breath, stepping back towards Regina.

"Nothing," Henry said, sincerely.

"Who are you?" the girl asked.

"My name's Henry. Do I have the pleasure of knowing your name?" He looked at her, nothing suspicious in his honest gaze. She decided to risk it.

"Rachel," she mumbled. Henry was about to answer, when a puff of purple smoke cut him off. Gold and Belle suddenly appeared, right behind Regina. The young savior flinched, instantly withdrawing.

"No wait," Henry said, holding out his hand.

"Gold," Regina hissed, glaring at him. "What are you doing here?"

"Gideon told us what had happened. We came to find out more," Belle explained. Her eyes were still sad, but she knew Gideon would be doing what he wanted. She looked at the young girl, standing at the edge of the forest.

"Who's that?" she asked, gently looking at Rachel.

"She's the new savior," Henry said.

"New savior?" Belle asked, in disbelief. She looked at Rachel, curiosity in her eyes.

"When Emma defeated the black fairy, her magic was destroyed." Belle raised her eyebrows.

"And, now, we have a new savior?"

"I'm right here," Rachel said.

"Right," Regina said. "Well, we should probably get you into town. And then we can talk after you've rested." Rachel nodded slightly, willingly to go along.

"I can take her," Zelena offered, looking at the young savior.

"Or us," Gold said, also looking at Rachel.

"Or Henry and I," Regina put in, looking at everyone else. It was almost like a competition, for some weird reason.

"So, who do you want to go home with?" Henry asked, secretly hoping she would pick Regina.

"I...I don't really care."

"Okay, how about I take her, for a couple of hours. Once she's good to go, I'll take her to Granny's okay?" Regina asked. Zelena and the Golds both nodded, slightly reluctantly.

"Rachel, come with me," Regina said, leading her to the car. Rachel followed hesitantly.

"Did you notice that?" Belle asked, once they were both in the car. Rumple nodded, slightly grinning.

"It was like parent wars back there," he commented. "And you seemed like you wanted to fight as well."

"Did not," Belle shot back. "It's just… I don't know. She seems special." Rumple smiled slightly, but he knew that his wife was right. There was something special about the girl. And not just that she was a savior.

Emma woke slowly, on her couch. Hook was right beside her, softly stroking her hair.

"Killian," Emma murmured. Hook looked down, relief filling his gaze.

"You're okay." He gently kissed her on the forehead, holding her even tighter. She smiled, but knew that something was wrong.

"Hook, what happened?" She remembered defeating the black fairy, then meeting up with Regina and Zelena, then everything just went black. And, wait, she wasn't the savior anymore.

"I don't know. You just passed out. I took you back home, Regina and Zelena stayed at the town line." Emma shook her head, trying to clear it. One look at Hook, and she could tell he had more to say.

"What is it?" she asked, worried. Hook swallowed, uneasily.

"David called. He wants us to meet at Granny's in a few hours. Once you're stronger. He said they found a potential savior."

Henry looked out the window, itching to talk to Rachel. She seemed fascinating. Currently, she was sitting next to him, a look of wonder in her eyes. But he was still cautious about talking.

"Okay, we're here," Regina said, after what seemed like hours. Henry hopped out of the car, before opening the door for Rachel. She climbed out, somewhat clumsily. She followed Henry down the pathway, stopping to admire the apple tree.

"This way," Henry said, motioning up the stairs. Rachel followed, wondering what exactly was going to happen.

"So, am I going to be staying here?" she asked, looking around. Henry led her to a guest room, waiting at the doorway. She entered, before turning to face him.

"I don't bite," she said, raising her eyebrow.

"Right," Henry said, walking into the room. They both sat on the bed, waiting in awkward silence.

"So, how old are you?" she asked. He looked at her, smiling slightly.

"15. How about you?"

"14," she answered. "But I think I'll be 15 in a few months."

"You think?" Henry asked. Rachel looked away, clearly not ready to share her past yet. Henry completely understood. But he would get through to her. Sooner or later.

"Is that your girlfriend?" Rachel asked, pointing to a small picture on his desk. Henry glanced over, seeing the picture of Violet on his desk.

"Not really," he muttered, bitterly. Rachel raised an eyebrow, looking at him curiously.

"What do you mean by not really?" Rachel asked. Henry, unlike her was more trusting. Something about her made him trust her.

"We grew apart. And then her father wanted to go back to Camelot. She chose to go with him." He turned away, a slight sadness clouding his eyes. Rachel could pretty easily tell what he was feeling. She'd always been able to tell how someone really felt about something. She knew that Henry didn't really care for Violet anymore. She knew his hurt just came from the betrayal he felt, at Violet passing him up.

Henry was ready to put the past behind him, so he stood up preparing to leave.

"You should get used to things. In a few hours, we'll take you to meet everyone else." She nodded, knowing there was no other choice. As he turned to leave, Henry suddenly remembered something.

"Oh, and welcome to Storybrooke."

 **Rachel's backstory will come eventually. Don't worry, everything will be explained in due time. Also, tell me what you want more of. Pus, I'm sure you can guess why I sent Violet away.**

 **Next time… Rachel meets the family of Storybrooke, and tries to find her place. Emma struggles with her own twist of fate.**

 **You guys are amazing. R &R**

 **NightLightning21**


	3. The Queen's Apprentice - Part 3

The Queen's Apprentice - Part 3

"Are you sure about this?" Emma asked, crossing her arms. Hook had come to take her to the diner, to meet the new savior. Hook knew how hard this was for Emma. And his heart broke for her.

"We need to do this luv," he said, placing a hand on her shoulder. He would walk through a tornado for her, and yet, right now, there was nothing he could do. It hurt him as much as it hurt her.

"What else did my dad say?" Emma asked, looking down at the floor. Hook sighed, wanting to protect his wife.

"He was fairly vague about it. I'm guessing he didn't want to tell us everything he knew." Emma nodded, but it was a fragile movement. Hook gently grabbed Emma's arm, helping her off the couch.

"I hate to do this to you. But we really do need to get to Granny's." Emma nodded, grabbing her red leather jacket. Then, after a moment's consideration, she put it back down again, walking out the door. Hook didn't miss a bit of it. He needed to talk to her family, as soon as possible.

* * *

Regina glanced at Rachel in the corner. The young savior seemed extremely uncomfortable. The diner door opened, and Zelena, Snow, and Charming all came in. Regina walked over to her sister, wanting to confer with her. Snow and Charming cautiously stared at the new savior, narrowing their eyes.

"Oh for crying out loud, she's not poisonous," Regina exclaimed, rolling her eyes.

"I know that. It's just, she's so mysterious right now." Regina sighed, looking at Rachel again. She was engaging in careful conversation with Belle.

"So Regina, what do you think?" Zelena asked, pulling her sister into a corner.

"Personally, I think that with time, she'll be as beloved as Henry," Regina admitted. "There's something about her. It's like everyone loves her already." Zelena raised an eyebrow.

"You want a daughter?" she asked teasingly.

"Course not," Regina said, a little too quickly. "But if I had to have one, Rachel doesn't seem like a bad choice."

"Actually, I think she is," Zelena said, looking over at Henry.

"Why?" Zelena gestured over to Regina's son, currently staring at Rachel.

"Seriously? She's been here barely an hour! Already he's making puppy dog eyes at her," Regina said, disbelief in her voice.

"Don't blame him. Remember what you just said. There's something special about her. Just like there was something special about Emma. Everyone except you fell in love with her quickly as well," Zelena reminded her. Regina sighed, looking back at Henry.

"I mean, Belle, Henry, me, you, and even Rumple have taken a liking to her," Zelena could tell Regina was tuning her out. The queen had turned towards the door, waiting for Emma and Hook.

The jingle of a bell signaled the arrival of Emma, with Hook on her heels. Snow and Charming quickly rushed to their daughter, hugging her tightly. David gave Hook a pat on the arm, knowing that he was torturing himself about this.

Emma glanced towards the corner, seeing Belle talking to a young girl.

"Is that her?" she asked, looking at Regina. The queen nodded. Emma glanced at Hook, then made her way over to the new savior.

* * *

Rachel was cautiously talking with Belle, not sure whether she could trust her or not. She certainly seemed genuine, but looks could be deceiving. Suddenly, she saw a blonde woman coming up to her. She vaguely remembered seeing the same woman collapse into the pirate's arms.

"Umm, Belle," Emma said, coming up to the two of them. Belle glanced upwards, and politely excused herself. Emma sat down on the stool previously occupied by Belle. Rachel stared at the woman, waiting for her to make the first move.

"My name's Emma. And I wanted to talk to you," Emma began. Rachel stared at her, wondering why Emma seemed so familiar.

"I'm Rachel." She continued to try and figure out what seemed so hauntingly familiar about Emma.

"I was the savior before you," Emma blurted out. Rachel blinked a few times, realizing that was what had seemed familiar. Just the presence of another savior.

"Why aren't you the savior?" Rachel asked. Emma seemed to flinch momentarily, and her eyes took on a slightly more guarded look. Rachel knew that look.

"I lost my powers," Emma mumbled. Then, she tried to brighten up, and looked at Rachel.

"And what about you? When did you become the savior?" Now it was Rachel's turn to be guarded.

"When I came to Storybrooke I guess," she said.

"And, where were you before Storybrooke?" Emma asked, beginning to probe.

Luckily, Rachel was saved from having to answer, because Regina was calling her over. A good chunk of the known townspeople had gathered, all wanting to see the new savior. Rachel currently felt like a peacock. Regina beckoned her over, protectively putting a hand on Rachel's shoulder.

"This is Rachel," she said, addressing the crowd. "We believe she's the new savior." The group erupted into soft chatter, everyone wanting to talk about the news.

"How do you know?" Grumpy challenged. "She looks awfully pitiful to be the savior." Rachel opened her mouth, but closed it again.

"We just know Grumpy," Regina said, giving Rachel a comforting look.

"Does anybody have any questions?" Regina asked.

"Why do we even have a new savior?" Ruby asked. "I mean, the battle of light and dark is over. And light won."

"Nobody can know the future. All we know is that we will need a savior sometime soon." The group began talking quite loudly again, to the point where Regina couldn't get their attention.

Suddenly, a burst of light magic spread through the room, shutting everyone up. Regin turned to Rachel, who was looking at the crowd.

"We'll find out more in due time. In the meantime, don't be scared. But do be wary." Rachel stepped away, only to find the people's gaze followed her.

Henry seemed to sense her discomfort, and led her outside.

"I know you might find all this a little overwhelming. So, I brought something that might help." He pulled out a big brown book, showing it to Rachel.

"I promise, this will help you understand everything." Henry stared into Rachel's eyes, before beginning the story.

"Once upon a time…"

 **Hello everyone. Hope you like this chapter. Anyone have ideas for the ship name of Henry and Rachel? I was thinking TruestSavior.**

 **Next time… Rachel's savior duties start earlier than expected with the return of Maleficent. Regina takes Rachel on as an apprentice. Emma and Hook must rethink their future, and make some choices.**


	4. Transformation - Part 1

Transformation - Part 1

Rachel looked at Henry with a new respect. After hearing the trying stories, she was filled with an admiration, and awe for the people of Storybrooke.

"So, what do you think?" Henry asked, closing the book.

"That was amazing. Thank you," Rachel said, wonder in her voice. Henry smiled, looking deep into her dark brown, almost black eyes. She returned his stare.

"Rachel?" Regina exited the diner, Emma and the Charmings on her heels. Zelena closed the door, walking down the steps.

"Yeah," Rachel said, stepping away from the table.

"I thought we should go back," Regina said.

"Wait," Emma said, shoving her hands in her jean pockets. Hook came out of the diner, making a beeline for Emma. She smiled slightly at him, putting her arm around his waist.

"I was wondering if I could talk to Rachel for a while," Emma said, hesitantly. Regina glanced at Rachel, raising her eyebrows.

"It's Rachel's choice," Regina commented. She looked to the young savior.

"Uhh, I'm fine with talking to Emma," Rachel said, glancing over at the sheriff.

"Then what? Who do you want to go home with?" Henry asked, hope sparking in his gaze.

"I can take her," Zelena offered. "If you want that Rachel." She wanted to learn about this new hero. Rachel shrugged, not really having an opinion.

"Okay," she said, slightly disappointed because she also wanted to talk to Henry. Besides Belle, he seemed like the most trustworthy.

"Kay, so you wanna get a sundae and talk?" Emma offered. Rachel nodded, following the blonde back into Granny's. Emma quickly pecked Hook on the cheek, squeezing his arm reassuringly.

"We'll talk later," she whispered. Hook looked at Emma, worry brewing in his blue eyes.

* * *

Snow looked at her new son-in-law. He was pacing the apartment, muttering to himself. Charming had suggested he come over to their place, and wait for Emma. The former pirate was currently rather unstable, and impulsive. Snow could understand what he was going through. She had experienced the same thing with David, and was going through something similar at the time. Emma was her daughter for crying out loud. She knew how easy it was to go down the path of the worst scenario. The worries just kept coming, like a snowball thundering down a mountain.

Snow shook her head, forcing herself to let go of the subject. She needed to be comforting right now. Not the nervous wreck Hook was.

"Hook?" Snow said, coming up beside him. His footsteps faltered, and he looked up.

"What it is?" he asked, glancing over at Snow.

"I know what you're going through," Snow said, sympathetically. "Emma's my daughter as well as your wife. We both love her."

"She's in danger," Hook spat out, grinding his teeth together. "And there's not a bloody thing I can do about it." His fists had clenched, and his blue eyes smoldered.

"We all feel that way." Snow put her hand on his arm, offering some sort of comfort.

"I just… I can't live without her," Hook admitted, finally breaking. He had masked his fear, and vulnerability with anger, and determination.

Snow pulled him close, trying to offer him some relief. He hugged her fiercely, tears spilling out of his eyes.

"It's gonna be okay," Snow murmured. She would never have imagined comforting Hook about her daughter. But it felt right. It was a motherly thing to do.

"She's half of me. How could I live without half of myself?" Hook choked out. He gripped his wedding ring, like he feared it would also be taken from him.

"Hook look at me," Snow said, gently but firmly. Hook pulled away, blinking several times. His blue eyes were like a story ocean, every wave showing more and more… pure agony.

In them, Snow could see hints of a young Killian, scared, and wondering what to do. With no one to guide him… support him. Emma had to survive this. She was his personal savior.

"What's she going to do?" Hook demanded. "She's always in danger. Always. And it tears me apart. And now she has no magic and…" Hook was practically babbling, and Snow completely understood. Not only was Emma facing unimaginable emotional trauma, but the physical danger seemed so far from over. That was what Hook was worried about.

"There is no future without her…"

* * *

There was magic in the air. Gold knew it immediately. He felt it in his blood. There was something familiar about this magic. It was recognizable, but changed somehow. He pondered it for a second, wary of what was coming next. Belle came through the curtains into the front of the shop, pushing a strand of hair out of her face.

"You miss him?" Belle looked up, shrugging slightly.

"Of course. But I know he's doing what he wants to do." She walked over to him, joining him behind the counter. He kissed her on the cheek, inhaling the scent of her shampoo. Their lips met in a tender embrace, comforting for both of them. But, because it's just who they are, they were interrupted.

The shop door flew open, almost falling off it's hinges. The bell gave a most unwelcome, long, and loud ring.

Maleficent strode through the shop, fire burning in her eyes. Gold wasn't sure whether there actually was fire in them or not. Had been known to happen before.

"So, why are you here," Gold asked, still quite annoyed. Belle nudged him.

"How may I help you?" he said in a less I-want-to-turn-you-into-a-frog voice.

"I need your help," Maleficent said, curtly. Gold smiled slightly, putting his arm around Belle.

"And just what do you require?" he asked, a hint of smugness in his tone. Unfortunately, he received a sharp tap to his leg for it.

"It's about Lily. Her dragon powers are out of control." Maleficent worriedly wrung her hands, glancing out the door.

"What do you mean?" Belle asked.

"Lily was raised in a land without magic. It seems like the sudden rush of power is well… overpowering. She was doing okay but, I think the curse affected the balance. She can't control it anymore." The worry of a mother was plain as day on Maleficent's face.

"If anything happens to her…" Belle and Gold shared a glance.

"I think this job calls for a savior."

* * *

Rachel felt herself develop the first inklings of trust for Emma. The former savior had left nothing out of her own Storybrooke experience. Rachel was thoroughly impressed with Emma's true strength.

"So, you grew up in Boston?" Rachel confirmed.

"Yeah. That was not a great part of my life," Emma admitted. "But it shaped me into who I am today. The grief I beared back then, in the end, made me stronger." Rachel nodded, thinking of her own past.

"So, what's your story?" Emma asked, looking intently at Rachel. The young savior tried to look down at her melting sundae. It didn't work very well.

"I've been living in Storybrooke for maybe, 3 months?" Rachel looked at Emma, wondering just how much she should trust her.

"Before that, umm, I lived in New York," Rachel mumbled. Emma's eyes widened in surprise.

"So, how'd you grow up in New York?" Emma asked, needing answers.

Unfortunately, Rachel didn't get a chance to answer. A blast of fire exploded outside, and a large black blur sped by the diner. Emma and Rachel exchanged a glance, before racing outside.

Henry, Regina, Zelena, and the Golds were already there, watching.

"Thank goodness," Henry said, running up to Rachel.

"Looks like you're being called for duty."

* * *

 **By the way, I have a whole plan for where this will go. Rachel's parents and backstory will be revealed eventually.**

 **Next time… Lily's powers continue to spiral out of control. Rachel is faced with being thrust into her new position. Regina and Rachel begin training. (Sorry for not really addressing that this chapter.)**

 **You guys are so amazing.**

 **NightLightning21**


	5. Transformation - Part 2

Transformation - Part 2

Regina glared at the black dragon that was swooping around Storybrooke.

"We really need to get someone to get rid of the reptiles," she muttered. Emma gave her a look, before turning to Gold.

"So, you've dealt with dragons before. Do you know what's going on?" she asked.

"Well, it seems as though Lily's powers are spiraling out of control." Emma rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, I got that. But do you know why?" Gold paused for a moment, narrowing his eyes.

"Well, it seems like your blast of light magic coupled with an event that was highly stressful may have caused Lily to snap."

Maleficent rushed out of the pawnshop, looking around for her daughter.

"Where's Lily?" she demanded, whirling around to scan the town.

"You just missed her," Rachel commented. Maleficent stopped her wild search to stare at the young girl.

"And who are you?" she asked. Regina knew she should step in before things got messy.

"Long story short, she's a savior that can help us." Maleficent was about to ask another question, but Regina held up her hand to stop her.

"Later. Right now we need to save the town from the flying barbecue." Maleficent gave her a look, but did not say anything.

"Lily is still struggling to find out about her past life. Maybe she found something that was too shocking for her."

"Really? She still doesn't know who her father is?" Emma asked, in disbelief.

"It doesn't matter," Regina said, stepping in. "This is going nowhere right now. Meanwhile dragon Lily is destroying the town. We need to stop her before we figure out what's wrong."

"Regina's right," Gold added, pointing towards the forest. "Lily is heading towards the well. I'm guessing there's a reason for that." They all seemed to find that reasonable.

"I'll go get Hook and my parents," Emma said, running towards her slug bug. "They should be here."

"Wonderful, the whole hero crew," Gold muttered, quiet enough so that only Belle and Maleficent could hear.

"What is Emma doing?" Zelena asked. "Doesn't she know she's not the savior anymore?" Luckily, only Regina heard.

"Just because Emma's not the all mighty savior doesn't mean she can't be a hero," Regina said, looking after the blonde.

"Meanwhile, why don't we track Lily to the well. Maybe we can see why she's going there." They all nodded, and split up to go to the well. Zelena and Gold simply magicked their way, with Gold taking Belle as well. Regina transported Henry before she turned to Rachel.

"Time for your first lesson. I want to see if you can teleport." Rachel looked at Regina, with disbelief very clear in her black eyes.

"Sure, and while we're at it, let's see if I can revive the dead," Rachel said. Regina smiled sarcastically.

"It's not that hard. Just think of the place you want to go. Imagine it in great detail. Then focus your energy on it. As hard as you can." Rachel still looked doubtful, but obeyed. She closed, her eyes, her focus practically radiating off of her. Regina could instantly tell that she was being very inefficient, but they could work on that later. It took a full thirty seconds for anything to happen.

A small swirl of white magic began circling the young savior. She was also sweating heavily, and looked incredibly pained. The white swirl grew, looking like a white whirlpool. Regina decided to help her, adding her own purple magic to the mix. This was mainly to get Rachel acquainted with magic. Although, from her display at Granny's, she was already pretty skilled. Not as instinctive as it had been with Emma, but still impressive.

Regina added more purple smoke, swirling it around Rachel. It began to build, until Rachel disappeared in the cloud. Now, hopefully she had gone to the right place.

* * *

Emma burst into the apartment that had been her home for the first 5 years in Storybrooke. Snow and Charming were both tending to Neal.

"Mom, dad," Emma greeted, running in. They both looked up in surprise. However, because they were trained heroes, they knew something was wrong right away.

"Explain on the way," they both said in unison. Emma nodded, rushing back out of the house. She couldn't help but think how much easier it would be with magic.

"Stop it," she muttered. That part of her life was over. But she would not be a coward a retreat now. Snow and Charming managed fine without magic. They all ran to the car, with Emma getting in her slugbug with Snow, and Charming taking the pickup.

"So what's happening now?" Snow asked. Emma decided to go with the condensed version.

"Lily's dragon powers are going out of control. Something about a traumatic and overwhelming experience mixed with the blast of magic." Snow nodded, turning her eyes back to the road. Emma quickly drove to her own house, where Hook would be waiting. When this was all over, she would seriously need some comforting with her husband.

"Hook?" Emma yelled out from the car. A few seconds passed before Killian came out of the house. He saw Emma's panicked expression, and his speed increased significantly.

"What's going on luv?" He asked, nodding at Snow.

"Short version? Lily is out of control. We need to go to the well right now." Hook nodded, hopping in David's pickup.

* * *

Rachel's fear was overwhelming her. It threatened to choke out all common sense she had. She stared up at the dragon, flying overhead, and she felt like vomiting.

"Has she gotten bigger?" Zelena asked, squinting to get a better look. Well that question definitely didn't help.

"So, do we have a plan?" Rachel asked, trying to sound as confident as possible. She did a pretty good job, considering that on the inside she felt like a jellyfish.

"Well, hopefully we'll just be observing for now," Regina said. Henry walked over to stand next to Rachel, and look at the dragon.

"We'll find a way to defeat her," he said, optimistic as always.

"I don't think that Lily will feel like socializing," Maleficent said, looking up at her daughter. Rachel was about to say something, when a river of fire suddenly swept through the trees. Rachel gasped, and dropped down to avoid getting roasted. She hopped back up, and realized that everyone was looking to her. They expected her to be the savior. Fear crept through her, consuming her every thought. She backed up, breathing heavily.

"I can't do this," she whimpered, backing up even more. Finally, her fear flooded to the surface, and she ran, not even caring about where she went. She just needed to get away.

 **Sorry about the delay in updating. I was working on other stuff. But here it is.**

 **Next time… Rachel must learn how to be a hero before Lily spirals even further out of control.**


	6. Transformation - Part 3

Transformation - Part 3

Henry's first instinct was to run after Rachel. He took a few steps forward, before Regina grabbed his arm, and yanked him back. She was just in time. Another blast of fire erupted around them, catching a few small trees on fire.

Henry gasped, ducking even further. Lily veered sharply to the right, her powerful wings casting a shadow on the small group. Regina pushed Henry towards Zelena, creating a fireball in her hand.

"Wait," Maleficent said, looking up at Lily. "How do you know you won't hurt her?" she demanded. Regina sighed, extinguishing the fire.

"She's a flaming fire pit right now. Fire won't hurt her," Regina remarked dryly.

"I think that Belle and I should see what's causing this," Gold said, glancing at his wife. She nodded in agreement.

"I think that we'll be more helpful finding out what this will mean long term." Regina nodded in agreement. Gold and Belle suddenly disappeared in a could of smoke.

"That was quick," Zelena remarked. Regina nodded, then made another fireball. Zelena joined Regina, creating her own green fire. The two sisters exchanged a glance, nodding at each other. Maleficent stepped out, leaving Henry alone in the tree cover.

"Aim for her belly," Maleficent explained. "It will unbalance her, but it won't hurt her. If you hit her wings… you could do permanent damage." Regina gave her a brisk nod, narrowing her eyes to look at Lily. Regina took a few moments to judge the distance, trying to follow Maleficent's instructions.

However, just as she threw, Lily shot away, her black wings just a blur. Zelena's also missed, instead crashing into a tall pine tree. Henry glanced around, the hair on the back of his neck bristling. The group of Zelena, Regina, and Maleficent moved further away, looking for the young dragon. Henry started the other way, following the path that Rachel had taken.

His heart told him that Rachel could do it. Something about him knew that Rachel just needed to have some encouragement. Regina turned around, and saw her son heading off into the forest.

"Henry," she called out, heading towards him.

"Mom. It's okay," he reassured her. "I know that Rachel can do this. She just needs to learn that herself."

"Zelena, would you go with him? I'll stay here with Maleficent and look for Lily." Regina looked at her older sister, trust in her eyes. Zelena saw it too, and took a deep breath.

"Of course," she said earnestly. "And I'll protect him with my life." Regina nodded, giving her a small smile.

"Let's go," Zelena said, leading Henry away.

* * *

Emma slammed the door on her car, racing into the forest. She knew without a doubt that Hook and her parents were right on her tail. She spotted Regina and Maleficent, staring at the sky.

"Guys, where's Lily?" she asked quickly. Hook came up behind her, standing in a defensive posture.

"We don't know," Regina admitted. "We had her, but then she sped away."

"What's going on with Lily?" Hook asked. "Did she just go dragon for some reason?" Regina and Maleficent shared a glance.

"Basically, light magic coupled with trauma made her dragon counterpart spin out of control," Regina explained.

"Where's Henry?" Emma asked. She looked around for her son, panic entering her gaze.

"Emma relax. He's with Zelena," Regina said. "They're looking for Rachel."

"You let Zelena take him alone?" Emma asked, her panic rising even more.

"And, why is that a problem?" Regina shot back.

"It's just that… Zelena might…" Regina narrowed her eyes.

"I thought you guys trusted Zelena."

"We do," Snow quickly said. "But Emma's Henry's mother. It's understandable." Her comment seemed to rile Regina up even more.

"I trust Zelena with Henry's life. She's a mother now too. But maybe she's not welcome in the hero crew."

Emma took a step back, startled by Regina's defensiveness.

"I'm sorry," she said, offering a peace truce. Regina just shrugged.

"Guys," Maleficent broke in. "We kind of need to find Lily before she does anything bad."

"Why don't we use a tracker spell?" Regina suggested. "Do we have anything of Lily's?" David stepped away from the group, studying a burnt tree.

"Found something," he called out. He picked up a small shiny almost metallic looking object. "I think it's a scale." Maleficent stepped forward, and he handed the object to her.

"That's an adolescent dragon scale," she confirmed.

"Here," Regina said, grabbing the scale. She circled her hand over the scale, making a golden outline. It flew up into the air, lingering for a few seconds.

"Why isn't it moving?" Snow asked, examining the scale.

"Well, it technically is a possession of her's. But I'm not sure it will work," Regina said uncertainly. They all watched the softly glowing scale, just drifting in the air. It floated for a moment longer, before shooting off into the distance. Everyone exchanged a community glance, before running off after the scale.

* * *

Henry finally spotted the young savior in the trees. She was sitting by a tree trunk, her head in her arms. There was something about that scene, that awakened a longing in Henry to protect her.

"Rachel?" he called out, running over. He was there before she could run away again. She looked at him, and the fear in her eyes was all to evident.

"You shouldn't have come here," she muttered. "You should go and stop Lily."

"Hey," Henry said softly. He pushed a strand of hair from her face, lifting her chin up.

"Rachel?" Zelena said hesitantly. The girl looked up, seeing Zelena walking towards her.

"I'm fine," she said, looking away.

"No your not," Zelena said. "But Henry and I can help you."

"How?" Rachel asked. "You guys aren't saviors. You can't relate." Zelena and Henry shared a glance. Zelena motioned for Henry to go first.

"We may not be saviors, but we know what it's like to want to be a hero." Rachel glanced up at him.

"But you are a hero," she said in a small voice.

"But I wasn't when I was younger. And I wanted to be so badly. My mothers were heros. My grandparents are Snow White and Prince Charming for cryin out loud. And I was just a boy. It seemed like because I was in a heroic family, I had to be a hero from the beginning."

"It feels like that for me too," Rachel said. She smiled softly.

"Yeah, right? And it didn't seem like I could ever be the hero that I wanted to be. But the truth was, I had what it took. All I needed to do… was believe."

"It was like that for me too," Zelena said. "Being a hero means to believe in yourself. You have faith in yourself. And that's the only part that you don't have. And magic is the same way. You need to believe Rachel."

Rachel stared at the ground, closing her eyes.

"Okay," she said. "I'll try to believe."

* * *

 **First of all, so sorry for not updating. Really busy. Second, the scene between Emma and Regina about Zelena was about the way the heroes act on the show. I don't know if you guys feel the same, but personally, I feel the heroes are slightly hypocritical on the show. This was my way of showing it.**

 **Next time… As Rachel grows in strength of her self confidence, Lily's childhood comes to Storybrooke.**

 **You guys are awesome**

 **NightLightning21**


	7. Stage 1 - Part 1

Stage 1 - Part 1

"Just try and focus," Regina urged. Rachel rolled her eyes.

"What else would I be doing," she retorted.

"Failing?" Regina said dryly. "Come on. Lily won't stay away forever. And I get the feeling she's not going to be happy when she makes her return."

"Lovely," Rachel muttered. "Cause I love spending my Saturdays in a grueling training course to defeat an angry fire pit."

"Well it's that or be babysat by Snow and Charming while I go and search for Lily," Regina threatened.

"What was it you wanted me to do again?" Rachel asked, putting on a smile. Regina gave her a look, but pointed to the spell in her book.

"Magic is a very complicated practice Rachel. Much of it is mental, not physical. Just focus on the ball." Rachel glanced at the baseball several feet away. Although, Regina's vault wasn't too big, so it wasn't like it was much of a struggle to get the ball. At least that was Rachel's argument.

"I've tried the summoning spell like a billion times," Rachel complained. "It's never worked."

"Keep that attitude up, and a billion might seem more realistic," Regina said, with no sympathy whatsoever.

"Why do I get the feeling that Emma would have been a more… understanding teacher?" Rachel asked, mentally preparing herself for another go.

"You'd be surprised at Emma's… fierceness at times." Regina smiled wryly. "She was quite the match for me when she first came to Storybrooke."

"What exactly happened when she came?" Rachel asked, in the dark of the previous savior's beginning days in Storybrooke.

"She was the most annoying swan I'd ever seen," Regina said. Rachel gave her a perfectly raised eyebrow. Maybe she had learned something from those lessons.

"What is that supposed to mean?" she asked.

"Emma came to Storybrooke because of Henry. And at the time, I was… not who I am today."

"Henry told me about the curse," Rachel said. "He said Emma broke it."

"She did. And we all thought that would be the final battle. Because at the time, it seemed like it was light versus dark."

"So, she broke the dark curse, and the sleeping curse?" Rachel asked, trying to get her facts straight. Man this family was complicated.

"Yes. But after that, we had a whole group of villains come to Storybrooke. Lucky us."

"But you beat them," Rachel responded.

"So we did," Regina said. "But, unfortunately evil will never be defeated completely. It lingers in the hearts of everyone. Which is why you need to practice." Rachel rolled her eyes.

* * *

"I really wanted to help her. I mean, she was my best friend. Really, my only friend from my childhood. And she was always so lost and confused, and she had no one to help her. Even I abandoned her…" Hook was trying hard to suppress a sigh. This had been going on for the last 5 minutes. He knew Emma felt guilty about what Lily was going through. For a brief moment, he thought of distracting the swan with… other matters. But seeing the worry etched on her features pushed any less than appropriate thoughts out of his head.

"I know you want to help Lily. But for now, we need to remain on the defensive. It won't help Lily to just go charging after her. Remember she's still a human. Just an out of control one," Hook said.

"Maybe you're right," Emma said, walking back over to the couch. "Maybe I should just leave it be for the time being." Hook poured her a small glass of wine, hoping it would calm her down. He knew that Emma was suffering. No matter how hard she tried to hide it, he could tell she was missing her power. It had been a part of her for her entire life.

"You can take the lead her. I'll follow you wherever you go."

"Don't you have a way with words," Emma teased, feeling herself relax.

"Well, I have had over 100 years of practice. And I do have a fair amount of charm." Emma set her glass down, and leaned over for a kiss. She thread her hands through his hair, and they both sank down further. Hook wrapped one arm around her slim form, breaking the kiss to stare at her.

"You really are beautiful," he murmured. She smiled, situating herself so she was on top of him.

"And you're ruggedly handsome," she said, pressing kisses to his jaw.

"Devilishly," he corrected, pulling her back down to him. "Why don't we take this upstairs?" he suggested.

"I'd be happy too. In fact-" Emma was cut off by the door being opened, and then slammed shut. Within a second, Snow was in the room, calling for Emma.

"Emma? We need to talk. Lily has-' she broke off seeing the two of them on the couch. She took in the wine on the table, and the state of Emma's clothing.

"Mom!" Emma said, pushing Hook even further away. "You certainly do have timing."

"Yeah, the worst bloody timing in history," Hook muttered, having to suppress a frustrated groan.

"You guys really need to lock the door," Snow said. "What if it was Henry who walked in here?"

"Well he and I already walked in on you and dad," Emma said dryly. Snow gave her a look that said never-speak-of-that-again.

"Anyways, do you think you can separate for a second so I can tell you what happened?" Emma stood up, smoothing her rumpled shirt.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"We really need to get a shirt with that quote on it," Hook quipped, standing, and heading over to Emma.

"There's someone new in Storybrooke," Snow began.

"That's never good," Hook said, remembering all the grief people coming to Storybrooke had caused.

"So, who's this new person?" Emma asked.

"We don't know," Snow said. "But Belle saw her go into the woods where we last saw Lily. She followed her."

"And?" Emma prompted.

"She's controlling her," Snow explained. "This woman who's come can control Lily. Belle said she saw what looked like a heart."

"Someone has Lily's heart?" the couple said in unison.

"Bloody hell!"

* * *

 **Again, I'm sorry for the delay. But I promise I would never leave a story unfinished. That's just not how I work. In fact, these super long pauses will stop. I will try and update 2-3 times a week.**

 **Next Time… the heroes of Storybrooke must figure out the new intentions of this mysterious woman. However, that will easier said than done… Henry has a question to ask a certain young savior**


	8. Stage 1 - Part 2

Stage 1 - Part 2

"Let me get this straight," Hook said, thoroughly annoyed. "There's someone in Storybrooke who can now control a dragon's heart?" Emma shrugged and nodded.

"That's what it looked like. Belle said that it was a woman. But that she was wearing a cape of some sort."

"We really gotta install cameras everywhere in Storybrooke," Hook muttered.

"You don't even know what the internet is," Emma quipped, turning to Regina and Rachel.

"We need to find out who is controlling Lily," Regina said. "That's priority number one." Emma nodded in agreement.

"Snow and Charming are with Belle and Henry searching in the woods." Emma glanced around the small group. "Where's Zelena?" she asked.

"Robin got a cough. Zelena's taking care of her," Regina explained. "Don't worry." Emma nodded.

"We can try and track this person with magic," Hook suggested. Regina gave the pirate an annoyed look.

"Well the odds of that are about as slim as you wearing something other than guyliner," she muttered. She ran her hands through her hair, apologizing almost immediately.

"I'm sorry. I'm just stressed. Please don't take offense"

"None taken," Hook said. "I already know you love my outfit choices." Regina wrinkled her nose in disgust, but let it go.

"So, what's the plan?" Rachel asked, beginning to feel uncomfortable being the only child. _Henry get back here_ , she thought to herself.

"We need to train you some more," Regina said, giving Rachel a look.

"I shouldn't have asked," Rachel said grumpily. But she smiled good naturedly.

"So, I hate to bring this up again, but why can't we just find this mystery woman?" Hook asked.

"Magic does have it's limits. One of those is that if often has to be based off emotion, and previous knowledge. It's hard to have strong feelings for a total stranger."

"Well, in that case, why are you making me lift rocks?" Rachel asked, a gleam in her eyes. "Except for the fact that I hate them now, I don't have strong feelings for them."

"Oh I know, you save the strong feelings for Henry," Regina said, looking at her nails. Emma rather enjoyed seeing Rachel go beet red. She opened her mouth a few times to speak, but no words came out.

"Henry? As in your son?" Rachel asked, her voice unnaturally high. "Me with him? That's… totally ridiculous." Rachel glared at the three adults, obviously trying to hold back laughter.

"Shut up," she muttered, turning away. The three adults bit back smiles, as Regina led Rachel out of the room.

"I'm gonna take the lovesick tomato face back to my vault," she called out. Rachel shot her an indignant look, but didn;t even bother trying to talk.

"This is going to be a long training session," she muttered to herself. The minute they were both gone, Hook and Emma broke into laughter.

"I can still hear you!"

* * *

Henry glanced around the half charred forest around him. It was hard to believe this had once been a pure green sea of green.

"Here, look!" Charming called out a few yards ahead. Henry followed Snow and Belle to where David was crouching.

"Scales," Snow said, picking one up. She examined a little closer, becoming a bit more white when she did.

"David," she said, showing him the scale. Henry crouched beside them, looking at the scale. It was splashed with blood.

"Who's blood is that?" Belle asked, nervousness creeping into her voice.

"If I had to take a guess," David began. I'd go with Lily."

"I'm gonna call Emma," Snow announced, "find out what she's gotten so far." She pulled out her phone, making an annoyed sound at the reduced reception in the woods.

"Hello? Emma? Have you guys made an progress on the mystery woman?" Snow and Emma talked for a few minutes, before Snow burst out laughing.

"She did what? About him? And what was her reaction?" Henry glanced up, wondering what exactly his mother and grandmother were talking about. Snow caught him looking, and turned away.

"Grandma?" Henry asked, giving her a suspicious look.

"Alright, I gotta go. We're tracking Lily. Yeah I know. I would've given anything to see that."

"See what?" both Henry and David questioned when Snow hung up. Snow gave him a look, before whispering something in David's ear. They both turned to Henry, smiles on their faces. Henry opened his mouth, but decided it was useless. He half stomped over to an apple tree, grabbing an apple from the branches.

"I thought you didn't like apples," Snow teased.

"I like them better than my family right now," Henry called back. He took a bite, savoring the crunchy taste. But then the ground seemed to open up under his feet, and he was thrown clear. His eyes widened as Lily came crashing through the trees, barreling at him at full speed.

* * *

"Ow," Henry muttered as Rachel dabbed on antibiotic. "It's just a cut. It doesn't have half the germs in the world." Rachel gave him a look, and continued applying it. As she turned to dispose of the cotton ball, Henry glimpsed a moon shaped crescent on her neck. It looked like some sort of sword wound or something.

"What's that?" he asked. Rachel gingerly touched the mark on her neck.

"I was born with it. I used to think it made me a hero of some sort. Like it was a symbol of power." She laughed sheepishly. "It's stupid really." Henry smiled, tilting his head slightly.

"I don't think it's stupid," he said honestly.

"Thanks," Rachel said, grabbing a bandage from the table.

"Zelena, do you have any bigger band aids in this house?" Rachel asked, realizing that the cut was too large for just a tiny one.

"In the second drawer," Zelena called from the other room. Rachel rummaged around the kitchen drawers. Before finding a band aid that was suitable.

"Okay, this should work," she said, peeling off the wrapping. "You should really pay attention-"

Suddenly, the world seemed to explode around them. The glass window shattered, and fire erupted around the room. Lily barreled into the room, heading right to Rachel. Rachel just barely managed to dodge the piercing claw, and slid to the other side of the kitchen. Regina and Emma ran into the room, followed closely by the Golds, and the Charmings.

"Zelena, stay with Robin," Snow said as she ran. Regina created a fireball, throwing it the black dragon. Lily didn't even flinch. She continued cornering Rachel, forcing the young savior up against the wall. Rachel flinched away, as Lily's claw came within inches of her head.

"Lily, over here," Emma called, trying to distract the dragon. Lily didn't even look her way. She remained fixed on Rachel, nostrils flaring, smoke blowing from her mouth. But, she wasn't attacking. Rachel glanced around, still pinned to the wall by the claw.

Suddenly, a figure appeared in the window. It was the woman that Belle had seen before.

"Kill her," she commanded. Lily reared up, channeling energy for a fire blast.

"No!" Henry shouted, trying to attack the mysterious woman in the room. A blast of magic sent him reeling back.

"Now, kill the savior," he woman commanded, revealing Lily's heart. Lily reared up again, fire swirling in her closed her eyes, waiting for the blast. It never came. Another figure came through the remnants of the window, crashing into the mystery woman. The sword hilt came crashing on the cloaked woman's wrist, making her drop the heart. She grabbed the heart, and struck the woman with the butt of the sword.

"Don't think you've won," the woman hissed. "This will never be over Mulan. Not until I kill her." With that, the woman vanished in a puff of gray smoke. Mulan pulled off her own hodd, surveying the damage. Regina, Emma, and Belle all rushed over to help Rachel up.

"Where'd Lily go?" Henry asked.

"She vanished with her," Regina said.

"Mulan what are you doing here?" Snow asked, looking at the warrior with confusion.

"I heard that a certain person from my past was here. I came to see what was happening."

"Well thank god you showed up in time. Was that her?" Emma asked, leading Rachel over.

"Yes," Mulan said, turning her attention to Rachel.

"Are you okay?" Rachel nodded shakily. She rubbed at her neck, where there was a cut, with blood dripping over her scar.

"Here," Mulan said, wiping up the blood. But she stopped dead when she saw the scar. She brushed her fingers over it, terror and confusion in her eyes.

"Are you Rachel?" she asked, backing up.

"Umm, yes?" Rachel said, worry in her voice.

"You… you… you died. But you didn't. You survived…" A look of utter horror spread across Mulan's face when she put the pieces together.

"Oh God no."

* * *

 **And done. That took a really long time. I'm really sorry. But I think that this is a great chapter personally. Don't worry, everything will be explained in due time. I am actually super excited for what's coming in this plot.**

 **Next Time… Mulan struggled with what happens now what Rachel's alive. Dark secrets from her past are dug up. Secrets she desperately wanted to bury**


	9. Stage 1 - Part 3

Stage 1 - Part 3

"Wait wait wait. Let me get this straight. You're Mulan's daughter?" Snow asked. Rachel shrugged.

"How should I know?" she asked.

"Fair point," Snow conceded turning to Mulan. But you knew. Why didn't you tell us?" Mulan squirmed uncomfortably.

"Look, that was a very dark period of my life. I… I didn't know what I was doing."

"So, you had a child?" Snow asked, raising her eyebrow.

"I didn't mean to. I just kinda happened. I… I figured that if I gave up the child, everything would be okay. I never thought that I would see her again." Mula trailed off, the shock still obvious in her eyes. Rachel took this all in with a surprising calmness.

"Wait, you're Mulan's daughter. I get that. But how did you get to Storybrooke?" Henry asked. Rachel shrugged, and turned to Mulan.

"I think that's a question you need to answer," she said, narrowing her eyes at the warrior. "I think that there's a lot of things that need to be answered." Mulan half hung her head.

"I know." Everybody had gathered in the smoky room now, all eyes fixed on the scene playing out before them.

"I just don't understand," Emma admitted. "How could you have a daughter? ANd why did none of us know?"

"I've tried to bury it in my past," Mulan admitted, shooting Rachel an ashamed look. The savior just turned away. Henry moved closer, whispering something in her ear.

"Thanks," she whispered back, but kept her eyes fixed on Mulan.

"Alright look. Clearly there's a lot of explaining to do, but right now, we need to go somewhere else to talk," Regina said, taking charge. "We'll go to Granny's okay?" Everyone seemed to agree on that, and slowly, they began exiting the room.

"Why do I get the feeling we're walking into a warzone?" Hook commented to Regina as they left.

"I hate to agree with you pirate, but I feel the same."

"I just don't understand why we never knew about this," Snow said, giving Mulan a hurt look.

"Nobody knew about it," Mulan muttered. "Nobody but me."

"What about the father?" Snow asked. Mulan visibly stiffened, and her stride faltered.

"I don't know," she said, swallowing hard.

"Who is Rachel's father?" Snow asked, determined to find out the truth. MUlan closed her eyes, taking a deep breath.

"It's complicated," she muttered, striding ahead. Snow sighed, sensing she wasn't gonna get anything else from the warrior.

"Well, what about Rachel? Huh? What are you planning on doing now that you found her?"

"Nothing," Mulan said, leading the way into Granny's. Snow rolled her eyes, and followed.

When they entered, they were greeted with chaos. People were packed in, everyone shouting over everyone else. However, once Mulan entered, people seemed to quiet, and turn towards her. Snow could easily see the nervousness of her friend.

"We've got your back," Snow whispered, as they pushed their way to the front. They met up with the rest of the group, no one really knowing what to do.

"We have to tell them something," Hook muttered.

"Well, all we need to talk about is the dragon attack," Snow said firmly. "It's all the town cares about anyways."

"We can talk in private later," Emma chipped in. "Right now, we just need to know about this new threat."

"Mulan, she had a history with you," Regina said. "Would you mind telling us what?"

"I…" Mulan took a deep breath, like she was actually plunging back into her past. Her eyes locked with Rachel's, and the young savior gave a tiny nod.

"I first met her when I was protecting someone. She was trying to kill the person I was trying to protect." Mulan shrugged, tucking hair behind her ears.

"I protected her."

"Who were you protecting? And who the hell is this mystery… I don't know… devil witch?" Hook asked.

"Well, devil witch is one way to describe her," Mulan responded.

"Her name is Gothel. And the person I was protecting was named Rapunzel."

* * *

Rachel sat alone on one of the barstools as Mulan explained her past with Gothel. She caught bits and pieces, but overall, she was tuned out. The truth was, Mulan was what she had dreamed for a mother. When she was longing for family, she'd imagined that her mother would be the strong, able female. She'd dreamed about that her whole life. But now… she had that. But Mulan didn't want anything to do with her.

"Look, she's trying to get revenge on me. She must have learned that my daughter was alive, and come to Storybrooke looking for her." That part, Rachel did catch.

"Great, so another person is out for my head. Maybe this Gothel creep can settle for my hair instead." Rachel rolled her eyes, but let Mulan continue.

"Rapunzel had magic in her blood. Gothel wanted it for herself. I stopped her from getting it."

"But, that was, what, fourteen years ago," Emma said, confused. "Why is she striking back now?"

"I can think of two reasons," Mulan said after a few moments. "Either she managed to defeat Rapunzel, or she found out my daughter was actually alive."

"Yeah, there's something that I'm confused about. So, when did you get pregnant? I mean, how did this Gothel person know?" Zelena asked.

"Not only that, but why would she be coming after Rachel? I mean, doesn't she know that you weren't with her?" Snow asked.

"Well, Maleficent did something similar," Charming pointed out. "In her mind, she was hurting us by hurting Emma."

"Mulan, did Gothel think that Rachel was your weakness?" Regina asked, narrowing her eyes. Mulan nodded slowly. Rachel scratched her head, realizing she might not have it tomorrow.

"It's gonna be okay," Henry reassured her, putting his hand on her shoulder. She automatically flinched, but allowed him to keep it there.

"I don't know," Rachel admitted. "The odds are most definitely not in my favor."

"Hunger Games," Henry remarked. "Nice. So, that reminds me, how did you get to this world? I mean you were born in the Enchanted Forest."

"How should I know?" Rachel asked.

"Right," Henry apologized.

"But, how did I get here?" Rachel asked, addressing Mulan directly. She seemed to be pinning the warrior with her steady brown gaze.

"The truth is, you were sent to this world… because of Gothel."

* * *

 **Oh my gosh. Life just seems to be getting busier and busier. I'm really sorry. Updates will be once a week I hope. Thanks for sticking in there with me.**

 **Next Time… Gothel's intentions in Storybrooke are investigated by the heroes. However, this also involves going deeper into her shared history with Mulan.**

 **You guys are amazing.**

 **R &R NightLightning21**


	10. Story Update

**Hey guys. This is a story update. And an apology. I have been so busy with other projects that these stories have fallen back. But, I'm finally ready to start again.**

 **However, there are some points I want to address. I want to incorporate parts of season 7 into this alternate version. Considering I always planned for the Tangled arc, I think that I might add charactors from the season seven world. (Ivy, Tremaine, and Gothel.)**

 **If you really don't want them, reach out. But, I think this is a good direction for the story to go in.**


	11. Truths and Lies - Part 1

Truths and Lies

"I am here because of Gothel?" Rachel asked. "What, did she have me delivered via two day shipping?"

"Look, she was never supposed to find out about you. But, she managed to get some information on me. It led to her learning everything."

"Huh. So, she knows more than I do," Rachel said, with a pointed look on her face. Henry raised an eyebrow, and glanced over at her. She'd already picked up on his family's sarcastic nature. Great.

"So, do you know Gothel's intentions?" Emma asked. "Like, why did she take Lily's heart?"

"Because it was easy," Mulan responded. "She could use Lily as her own personal kill squad."

"Oh, wonderful," Hook muttered to Emma.

"Will you just shh?" she asked. He sighed, and fell silent.

"This is a dark day. Killian Jones being commanded by a woman." Emma elbowed him in the ribs, and redirected the conversation.

"Is there anyway we could find Rapunzel?" Regina asked.

"Actually, yes there is," Belle said.

"Belle?" Snow asked.

"I met one of her daughters. She's here. In Storybrooke."

"Really?" David asked. "Where?"

"I'll take Henry and Rachel with me to find her. The rest of you try to work on Gothel. From what I've read, she's going to be a powerful opponent." Emma nodded in agreement.

"C'mon. We'll go and try to find Lily. We can give her her heart back." They all nodded, then broke apart.

* * *

Mulan silently followed the group to the forest.

"Hey," Snow offered, hanging back with her.

"Hi," Mulan said quietly. She turned away, clearly disturbed.

"Are you okay?" Snow asked. Mulan raised an eyebrow.

"Well, okay. You're not, but… I can't even imagine what this is like for you. Do you wanna talk about it?"

"I never meant for it to turn out like this," Mulan muttered, focusing on the trail.

"Back at the diner," Snow said cautiously. "You said that she was here because of Gothel. What did that mean?" Mulan blinked once, twice.

"I took the job protecting Rapunzel after I'd just had my heart broken. But… that's not the whole story. I was enlisted by a man named Flynn Rider to help him find her. We searched for weeks, before I caught onto Gothel's trail. Eventually, we tracked her to the tower."

"When did you get pregnant?" Snow asked.

"A few weeks before we found the tower," Mulan said. "It was absolutely meaningless. I was hurting."

"So… you…" Mulan nodded.

"Gothel had almost been ready to kill Rapunzel. For her magic. We saved her, and took her away from Gothel. But, Gothel saw me during the escape. She vowed revenge. On Rapunzel and me. She found me a few months later, and realized I was pregnant. Then, she developed her master plan," Mulan broke off, and stopped.

"What's wrong?" Snow asked. Mulan glanced around.

"Someone's here," she whispered. She drew her sword, assuming a defensive position. Snow grabbed an arrow, nocking it on the string. A rustle in the bushes had them both turning sharply to the right.

Lily crashed through the bushes, this time in human form.

"Lily!" Snow exclaimed.

"Snow?" Lily asked. "What are you doing out here?"

"We were looking for you," Snow explained. "We, uh, we have your heart."

"Great," Lily responded. "Been looking forward to getting that back."

"Come on. We'll take you back to the others," said Snow. They began walking back towards the edge of the forest. Mulan resheathed her sword, looking incredibly relieved. The tension seemed to have left her for the time being. Snow got the feeling it was more than the tension of danger that left Mulan, She had escaped questioning. Snow got the feeling getting more information wasn't going to be easy to do.

"Mulan," she tried. "Who is Rachel's father?" Mulan closed her eyes, biting her lip. She took a deep breath, preparing herself. Snow's eyes were kind and understanding. This was it.

* * *

Henry followed Belle out the door, with Rachel on his heels.

"How do you know this girl?" he asked.

"I met her a few months ago. She came into the library. Hopefully, she can help us find Rapunzel."

"If she doesn't have her mother, who is she living with?" Rachel asked.

"I think she said something about having a single dad."

"At least she had one," Rachel muttered quietly to Henry. He gave her a look of sympathy and understanding. She certainly was a mystery. But, that was part of what intrigued him. He wanted to spend time with her. He didn't even know if that time would be of romantic reason or not. He didn't really care at the time.

"She generally stops by the library after school. We can go and talk to her."

"Speaking of school," Rachel said. "Henry, when do you go?"

"I'm the assistant sheriff," Henry answered, not missing a beat. "It requires a lot of time out of class."

"Sure," Rachel said, nudging him good naturedly.

"I can get you a badge too if you're jealous," Henry teased.

"How about handcuffs?" Rachel asked. "Those would be significantly more useful." Henry grinned.

"Anyone you wanna handcuff?" he asked. "People who have wronged you in the past?" he teased. Rachel rolled her eyes.

"No actually. Just you." She raised her eyebrow, and entered the library. She began to wander through, followed by Henry.

She almost jumped out of fright when Belle's phone rang.

"Sorry," the brunette apologized, grabbing her phone. "It's Snow. I'll take this, you guys hang for a sec." Rachel began to search the aisles, looking for Rapunzel's daughter.

"You wanna get a book?" Henry asked. "Perhaps the original storybook? It was even written by yours truly." He paused for a second. "Well, some of it."

"Yeah, I think I'll pass," Rachel answered. "I was never a huge reader. I always found the plots to be to unrealistic. Then of course, so is my story right now."

"Where did your story start?" Henry asked, curiously.

"Really?" Rachel asked. "That's your way to ask me about my past?"

"Hey, I'm a writer," Henry defended. "It's what I do for a living. A guy's gotta eat you know."

"What happened to 'assistant sheriff'?" Rachel asked. Henry chuckled, leading them further back into the fiction section. Rachel stopped by a bookshelf, examining the titles. Henry leaned against one of the shelves with an arm, and studied her. Her features weren't exactly feminine persay. Dark brown eyes, and medium hair cut gave her a tougher look. He was pretty sure that she could hold her own in battle, despite having a slimmer form.

Rachel noticed him looking at her, and smiled softly. She grabbed a book from the shelf, and began skimming the pages.

"Hmm, classic romance novel," she said, putting it back.

"You don't like romance?" Henry asked. Rachel shrugged.

"I never saw the greatness of love. All it's done is hurt me." She shrugged, moving out of the beam of sunlight.

"What about you?" she asked.

"I had a girlfriend," Henry answered.

"What happened?' Rachel asked, her curiosity piqued. Henry shrugged, no bitterness in his eyes.

"She decided to leave. Go back to her home. I don't blame her. Besides…" he trailed off. He stared into her eyes, memorizing the depths of brown. He leaned in, almost hesitantly. Rachel almost just stood there, not really knowing what to do. Henry moved closer, studying her face.

"Hey guys, there's something-" Belle broke off as she saw the two of them. "Am I interrupting something?" she asked. Henry cleared his throat, and moved away with a frustrated look.

"Normally, I would be teasing. But, there's something more important. Rachel, it's about you. Ivy, Rapunzel's daughter…" she paused. "I guess there's no easy way to put this." she paused again.

"She's your half-sister."

* * *

 **I'm gonna start a new Once Upon a Time story, so keep an eye out for that.**

 **Next time… Ivy is brought in to try and help the heroes. But, her own backstory is just as complicated as everyone else's, and problems will arise. Starting with her shared blood with Rachel.**

 **Thanks as always.**

 **R &R You guys are amazing**

 **NightLightning21**


	12. Truths and Lies - Part 2

Truths and Lies part 2

"Why am I not surprised?" Rachel asked drily. "Isn't everyone related to everyone here? Jeez I don't wanna imagine Christmas."

"How is she?" Henry asked, still flushed from moments ago.

"Ivy's father and Rachel's father are the same."

"Oh gosh," Rachel muttered. "More Storybrooke magic to discover. Aren't I lucky."

"Anyways," Belle said. "Ivy should be here in a few minutes. I suggest you don't mention this just yet." Rachel rolled her eyes, but nodded.

"Who is Ivy's mother?" Henry asked curiously.

"She was known as Rapunzel," Belle answered. "Mulan teamed up with your father to try and find her. It was then that…" Belle trailed off awkwardly.

"Oh, wonderful," Rachel remarked. "What's next? Wait wait, let me guess. Elsa from Frozen is my cousin!" Henry shot her a sympathetic glance.

"Welcome to Storybrooke," he offered weakly. Rachel cradled her head in her hands. The jingling of the bell snapped her head up.

"That's Ivy," Belle said, leading them up to the counter. They both turned and looked at the girl walking into the library.

"She's pretty," Rachel said, eyes widening a bit. Belle shot her a look.

"Ivy," Belle called. Ivy turned, and walked towards the trio.

"Belle?" Ivy asked, a questioning look in her brown eyes. She looked maybe 15 or 16, with shoulder length brown hair. She turned her gaze to Henry and Rachel, the latter of whom was still staring.

"Uh, I'm Henry," Henry greeted, shaking her hand. He nudged Rachel, who also introduced herself.

"Yeah, uh, I'm, Rachel," she said. Ivy shook her hand as well, before Belle started explaining.

"Ivy, did your father ever talk about what happened to your mother?" she asked. Ivy's gaze became questioning, but she answered the question.

"I know that Mulan saved my mother from Gothel. But, after that, something happened. My parents had a huge fight one night. Something about my dad I guess. Anyways, she left. My dad said she went back to the Enchanted Forest."

"She left you?" Rachel asked. Ivy shrugged, not seeming to be bothered.

"I don't think she was thinking things through," Ivy answered.

"So, if she went back to the Enchanted Forest, then she would have been with Gothel. What if she found her?"

"Hey, Ivy. Can you come with us to the diner?" Belle asked. "I think we need to talk some more. With the other people. Meet us in forty five minutes." Ivy nodded slowly.

"Yeah, sure. See you guys there."

"Bye," Henry and Rachel both said.

"I think we need to determine a few things," Belle said, leading them out.

"I think we need a timeline," Rachel muttered.

* * *

Regina could feel the beginnings of a headache forming.

"Okay, would everyone be quiet for a few seconds?" she asked.

"So, fourteen years ago, Gothel managed to trap Rapunzel in the tower. Ivy's father enlisted Mulan to help him get Rapunzel back." She glanced around at the small group.

"Does everyone follow?" she asked. There was a hesitant chorus of nods.

"So, right before they found Rapunzel, Mulan and him?" Emma questioned.

"Yeah," Regina said. "Once they found Rapunzel, Mulan left. But, not before othel vowed revenge against all three of them."

"That's why she's going after Mulan,"Snow confirmed.

"Yes. So, flash forward nine months to Rachel's birth.

"Gothel had been following me for a few weeks. She decided to wait until I'd had my baby," Mulan chipped in.

"She tried to send me through a portal, allowing her to take Rachel. But, I tried to fight. In the end, Rachel was sent through. And I managed to escape."

"So, that's how Rachel got to this world."

"When I learned Gothel was here, I knew what she might be doing. I followed her."

"Meanwhile, Rapunzel was living with Ivy and Anastasia. And her husband. They traveled to Storybrooke. I'm guessing everything was fine until-"

"You know, if you're going by the story, he's probably named Flynn," Henry suggested.

"Okay, so they're all living fine. Until Flynn reveals what happened with Mulan. Then, Rapunzel leaves, and goes back to the Enchanted Forest. They, um, she finds Gothel eventually. And… we don't actually know what happens after that. But we know that then Gothel came to Storybrooke."

"Is anyone else's head spinning?" Hook asked. "Should we try and find Rapunzel?" he asked.

"Go to the Enchanted Forest?" Emma asked. "Great, I'll start packing right away."

"But, what if she's dead?" Snow asked. "Maybe we should focus on Gothel right now?" she suggested.

"Yeah, that would probably be best," Charming agreed. "We know what she wants. Mulan, Rachel, Flynn, and Ivy probably."

"Mulan, do you know of any weaknesses she has?" Emma asked.

"Well, I certainly haven't found anyone. If I had to guess, I'd go with something related to Rapunzel. There's a reason Gothel locked her up. Rapunzel must've done something. Threatened Gothel in some way. Maybe that's her weakness."

"So, our shot at finding Gothel's weakness is currently dead or alive in the Enchanted Forest?" Hook asked. "Sounds delightful."

"Remember we went to the underworld for you, pirate," Regina remarked.

"True," Hook conceded.

"We can't just leave Storybrooke," Snow pointed out. "Not with Gothel here."

"What if only some of us go?" Belle suggested. "But the rest of us will stay here."

"Yeah, good idea. Only a few of us need to go back. I mean, how many people could we possibly need to find Rapunzel?" Snow asked.

"Belle, where's Gold?" Charming asked.

"Oh, Gideon has a cold. He's staying home with him."

"Do you think maybe Gold knows something about Rapunzel?" Charming asked.

"Worth a shot," Emma answered. "He's seems to know everyone."

"Ivy should be getting her any minute," Emma said. "Maybe we should put the timeline away."

"So, who wants to go to the Enchanted Forest?" Regina asked.

"I do!" Rachel and Henry both shouted.

"Back off," Rachel joked. "You've already been."

"You were born there," Henry protested.

"Only counts if you remember," Rachel countered.

"I… fine," Henry muttered.

"Teenagers?" Regina called, shutting them up.

"Anyone want to go back?"

* * *

 **I'm super excited to write the Enchanted Forest. Who do you think should go back? Also, more Ivy next chapter.**

 **Next time… With the heroes now seperated, Gothel begins to cause havoc in Storybrooke. The group in the Enchanted Forest face their own adversaries in their quest to find Rapunzel.**

 **You guys are amazing**

 **R &R **

**NightLightning21**


	13. Truths and Lies - Part 3

Truths and Lies part 3

"You know, most people would be trying to get out of a dangerous mission back to a place that is filled with deadly magic," Emma muttered.

"Come on mom," Henry pleaded. "It will be fun."

"Teenagers these days," Snow muttered.

"Hey," Rachel protested, coming to Henry's defense.

"What's wrong with us teens having some fun?" Ivy asked, innocently. She gave Rachel a discreet high five, prompting an eye roll from Emma.

"The point is," Regina said, gaining the attention again. "This mission is incredibly dangerous. We have no idea what we're walking into here."

"Isn't Storybrooke more dangerous?" Henry asked. "I mean, this is where Gothel is. Right?"

"Henry, the Enchanted Forest has dangers even you couldn't imagine," Gold said.

"We need someone to stay behind," David pointed out.

"Aye," Hook agreed. "I'll stay," he offered.

"Then I'll stay," Emma said.

"No luv, it's okay," Hook responded. "Besides, I never got a proper bachelor party." He smiled at Emma, his dark eyes hinting at his humour. She rolled her eyes fondly.

"Okay, I'll go," she said, shrugging.

"The three of us are going," Henry stated.

Regina shot a Henry a look, but he simply stared back. He lifted an eyebrow, almost challenging her to disagree.

"We'll stay too," Snow offered.

"Gold, do you have any experience with Rapunzel? Or Gothel even?" Emma asked.

"I've certainly run into Gothel a fair amount of times. I also met Rapunzel once or twice," he replied.

"Can you go?" Emma asked. "We'll take care of Gideon for you."

"As it seems to be requested, I'll oblige," he said, wrapping an arm around Belle.

"Well, I guess I have to stay," Regina said. "If Emma and Gold are going, someone with magic has to stay here."

"It's okay your majesty," Hook assured him. "We'll have lots of fun here." Regina shot the pirate a look of annoyance.

"Hold it guyliner," she muttered.

"Well, considering it's either hanging with me or the Charmings," Hook said, trailing off. Regina narrowed her eyes.

"I'm gonna go find Zelena," she muttered. Hook simply smiled.

"I have no idea why you married the pirate," Regina spoke to Emma.

"Surely there was someone else in the town who was better? Even the dwarves would've been better."

"If Hook and I get a divorce, I'll make sure to notify you," Emma responded, laughter gleaming in her eyes.

* * *

"When do we leave?" Belle asked. "And how quickly will Gothel know that we're gone?"

"Probably right away," Regina answered. "So, you'll have to find Rapunzel quickly."

"Wait," Rachel interrupted. "What about getting to the Enchanted Forest? How are we going to create a portal?"

"Well, I might have the answer you're looking for," Gold responded, pulling a small golden bag out from his pocket.

"What is that? One of the beans from _Jack in the Beanstalk_?" Rachel joked. "Did you trade your cow for them?"

No one said anything.

"Seriously?" Rachel muttered, rolling her eyes. "Fabulous, we're traveling to another land by means of a 2 centimeter sprout."

"I'll start laying protective defenses in the town. Meanwhile, you guys should go," Regina suggested.

Gold opened the small bag, and dumped the contents into his hand.

"Would you care to do the honors?" he asked, turning to Belle.

"Why thank you," she said, taking the bean from him. She closed her eyes, imagining where she wanted to go, before throwing the bean to the ground.

The bean forced open a force stronger than most people would ever know.

"Ladies first?" Hook suggested, gesturing for Emma to go. She gave him a quick kiss, before stepping into the portal.

Henry, Ivy, and Rachel all approached the portal together.

"Like a diving board," Ivy suggested. They all grinned at each other.

"Cannonball!" Henry yelled, as they all jumped into the portal. They were swallowed by the orange swirl within a second.

"Looks like Henry has found some new friends," Gold remarked, walking up to the portal.

"Friends?" Belle questioned, as she followed him. Before he could respond, she was stepping into the orange haze, disappearing into nowhere.

"Good luck," Gold said, turning to Regina. For once, there seemed to be no sarcasm in his voice.

"What is it Gold?" Regina asked.

"Gothel is a truly dark force. She is a human who allowed herself to be corrupted completely by the darkness. You see, unlike all of the other 'villains' we've faced, we cannot appeal to her humanity. She's spent far too long in darkness for that. It means she has no weakness."

He paused again, sensing the portal beginning to collapse.

"I may be wrong. But I sense we may be walking right into a trap." With that, he stepped into the portal, and a few seconds later, the large circle had shrunk away to nothing.

 _I may be wrong. But I sense we may be walking right into a trap._ Gold's words kept whispering in Regina's head.

"Regina?" Snow asked, also concerned about Gold's words.

"It's uh, probably nothing," she said, putting on a smile.

"You really think Gold would waste time warning us about something that wouldn't happen?" Charming asked.

"No, Gold never does anything without a reason," Hook said. "He's onto something. We should be careful. I get a feeling we have no idea what Gothel is capable of."

"I'm gonna go find Zelena," Regina said, still quite unnerved. "Maybe we can find whatever it is that Gothel has planned."

She waved her hands, disappearing in a cloud of purple smoke.

The remaining three simply stared at each other.

"Right, so, I'll go start organizing some defenses against Gothel. I'll connect with Mulan, and see what she knows," Hook said, already planning things in his head. "Oh, and I'll talk to Lily. See what she learned about Gothel." He began walking towards the sheriff's office, purpose in his stride.

"Do you really think Gold was being paranoid?" Snow asked. Charming shook his head.

"Gold knows Gothel better than anyone. He's good with figuring a person out. I actually trust him with this," Charming replied.

"If he is right," Snow started. "Then Storybrooke is about to get very dark."

* * *

"Oh indeed it will," came a small whisper. Gothel stared at the couple, as they embraced, looking out over their precious town. They had no idea she was watching. And it would stay like that for a while. She could certainly learn things here in Storybrooke.

* * *

 **Next time… The heroes in the Enchanted Forest face new and dangerous foes as they try to survive for long enough to find Rapunzel**

 **You guys are absolutely great**

 **R &R**

 **NightLightning21**


	14. The Search - Part 1

The Search part 1

"You know, this place is not as glamorous as I thought," Rachel remarked, as she tripped for the second time in ten minutes.

"Well, most of it was destroyed," Henry pointed out.

"Not happy with the sightseeing?" Ivy teased.

"Teenagers?" Emma questioned, giving them all a look. Or as Henry now called The Look.

"Ooh, we got The Look again," Rachel said, looking down.

"Should we behave for the next twenty minutes now?" Ivy asked. The three of them all exchanged giggles.

"I feel like we just walked into Disney Channel," Emma muttered. "Do you guys mind?"

"Fine," Henry said, shrugging. The three kids fell in line behind the adults, as they went further into the forest.

Suddenly, Emma and Gold stiffened. They both exchanged a glance, serious expressions on their faces.

"What?" Belle asked. "What's wrong." Even the kids expressed nervous expressions.

"What's… what's going on?" Henry asked, glancing around. His question was soon answered. A roar pierced through the trees, actually rumbling the ground. Everyone froze. Another roar ripped through the air, getting even closer. Rachel grabbed onto Henry, as she stumbled.

"You cool?" he asked, as she righted herself.

"Yeah fine," she said, as the group gathered even closer.

"Anyone worried?" Ivy asked, flinching as yet another roar shook the ground. Belle seemed to be the most shaken. Her eyes were wide, and it was like she was paralyzed.

"What is that?" Rachel demanded. "Us kids would really appreciate knowing what you grown-ups do."

"Ogres," Belle whispered, still in her trance. Emma and Gold both nodded in confirmation.

"Why is she so scared?" Ivy asked, motioning to Belle.

"Her mother was killed by an ogre," Gold explained softly.

"Oh," the three of them said in unison.

"So, are we gonna do anything?" Rachel asked. The sounds were rapidly approaching the small group.

"We'll handle this," Emma said, her voice serious. "You guys go and wait over there. Gold and I can handle them." The three of them exchanged a glance, but gave in. They all trudged over to the treeline, on the verge of a meadow.

"Does she know how powerful we can be?" Henry pouted. "I mean, we have the Author, the Savior, and Ivy…" he trailed off, wondering how to describe the brunette.

"Do you have magic?" Rachel asked, turning to the young girl.

"Well, I'm not sure," Ivy admitted. "I mean, I've never tried. But… I have no idea what my family was capable of."

"I'm sure you'll find you capabilities eventually," Henry reassured her. "I mean-"

"Look out!" Rachel yelled, tackling the two others, and pushing them to the ground. Henry was driven to the ground, every bit of breath knocked out of him. Less than a second after, he heard an ear splitting crash, as an enormous oak tree was hurled towards them. Rachel and Henry used each other as shields from the tree.

As soon as the tree crashed they were up again. They were really only a few feet from the tree.

"Wait," Rachel said, looking around rapidly. "Where's Ivy?"

* * *

Ivy couldn't move. The last thing she remembered was Rachel half tackling her. Then she'd hit the ground, and must've been knocked out for a few seconds. She tried to move, tried to speak, but nothing worked. She could hear Rachel and Henry both yelling. More thuds seemed to signal more trees being thrown. So the ogres were still coming. Great. And she was stuck in a tree.

 _Of all the stupid ways to go…_

A small part of her brain seemed to reconnect, because now she could feel her hands. She tried pushing up against the bark, trying to force her way out. But it seemed her efforts were futile. Great. Just great.

She was still pushing, her panic rising even higher. She had to get out of there. But, as she was pushing, she felt a tingling go through her body. It was like a warm glow. The only word that could even really explain it was golden. She could feel the new warmth pulsing through her, until her entire body was tingling.

She decided to push again, and give it one last go. But this time, something very different happened. When she pushed, the tree seemed to explode around her. At the same time, she was blinded by the brightest blue light she could imagine.

When her vision finally began to return, her situation was completely different. The tree had disappeared. In it's place, Henry and Rachel's worried faces had appeared.

"What… what…" she could barely speak. Luckily, she didn't really have to. An ogre crashed into the clearing, heading straight for Emma and Gold. They seemed to have a secret conversation, before simultaneously lifting their hands. Emma's magic was white, mixing with the red of Gold's magic. They both blasted the ogre, surrounding it with white and red swirls.

But something was very wrong. The ogre didn't seem to be affected. When Gold and Emma stopped, it just kept coming.

"What's going on?" Henry yelled, struggling to be heard over the approaching horde. Rachel grabbed Ivy's hand, dragging her to the rest of the group.

"The ogres… they must be immune!" Emma yelled, looking to Gold.

He seemed to be as bewildered as the rest of them.

"Gothel," Belle yelled, leading the small group away from the clearing. "This must've been her doing."

"The ogres are immune to magic?" Rachel asked, as the group began running. Ivy had no idea how she could keep up. She must've broken something in the fall. But right now, she wouldn't question it.

"We need to get out of here," Belle panted. "If we can't kill them we need to get somewhere safe." Ivy turned to talk to Rachel, only to find that the young savior was running with her eyes closed.

"What are you doing?" Ivy asked. "Are you crazy." Ivy soon got her answer. The next thing she knew, everyone was being swallowed by a cloud of white.

Emma stumbled to a halt, quickly glancing around at her surroundings. Rachel had transported them to a different part of the forest.

"Good job kid," she said, patting Rachel on the back. "And quick magic as well." but their moment of relief was just that. A moment.

"How come you and Emma couldn't kill the ogres?" Henry asked. "They can't really be immune to all magic can they?"

"No," Gold answered. "But there are spells. Spells that can make something resistant to a certain type of magic."

"Are you saying the ogres are immune to you and Emma?" Rachel asked.

"And you too probably," Emma answered. "I know this was Gothel's doing."

"And I'm afraid I know why," Gold said, looking quite grim. But, who could blame him.

"What?" Emma demanded, her heart beginning to beat even faster.

"I've been encountered with this spell before. And, in order for it to work, you need small samples of a person's magic in order to create the immunity spell. On those ogres back there, I sensed Regina's magic."

"Why would she bother immunizing them to Regina…" Emma trailed off, realization dawning on her. It made her actually want to vomit.

"The ogres are going to Storybrooke. And there's no one there that can stop them."

"That's why Gothel wanted us out here. She going to destroy Storybrooke."

* * *

 **Sorry for lack of updates, I'm really trying.**

 **Next time… Back in Storybrooke, Regina, the Charmings, and Hook face serious problems with the ogres. But help may come from an unlikely source.**

 **You guys are amazing**

 **NightLightning21**


	15. The Search - Part 2

The Search - Part 2

"You know, I could really go for a hot cocoa right now," Snow said, leaning into David. Her husband recuperated by putting his arm around her shoulder.

"Well, in this rare moment of peace, maybe we should," he said, kissing her on the cheek.

"Yeah, I've barely had time to miss Emma and the kids. We've been so busy here."

"I know, and it feels like we haven't gotten anywhere," David said, annoyance creeping into his tone.

"Well, we have to keep hoping," Snow said, a determined optimism her voice. However, instead of comforting him, David ended up exploding.

"I am tired of hoping," he spat. "It seems like every time we make progress, someone else comes and messes us up. And in the small glimpse of happiness that we do experience, we're too worried about someone taking that away to even focus on it." He turned away, still breathing heavily.

"David," Snow pleaded, laying a hand on his shoulder. "David," she said again, this time more forcefully. He looked back at her, blue eyes tormented.

"I know that things aren't exactly a picnic right now. God knows when our lives will become normal. But, we always need to hold on to hope. Because hope is what makes up human. And hope isn't sitting around, waiting for a miracle. I think we're both learned that. But if you stop hoping for the future, then what do you have?" She paused, seeing if her words were having any effect.

"Look, I know that it's easy to lose sight of the light. But once we lose that perspective, we become the people we never thought we would be. David, we lost hope at one point. And look what that made us do. We ended up hurting everyone that we loved. And we lost sight of what was truly important."

"But it seems like everything we do gets twisted around," David said, looking down.

"Hope is what keeps us fighting," Snow declared. "And if we stop fighting. Then what are we?" She laid a hand on his arm, finally seeming to get to him.

"Look, I'll go with Regina to try and figure out Gothel's next move. You stay here with Neal." David glanced over at their son, busy playing with Legos.

"Just remember to live. If you don't, your life will be gone before you know it."

* * *

"You know, it feels like we're getting nowhere," Regina said, glancing at her potions in frustration. "I know Gothel's planning something. She wouldn't have gone inactive if she didn't have something big coming up."

"Some big and bad?" Snow asked.

"Yup," Regina confirmed, getting up from the table.

"So, what's our next move?" Snow asked, following Regina's actions. The other woman sighed, blowing hair out of her face.

"I don't think there is one. Unfortunately, we have to wait for Gothel. Right now, it's her play." She paused, grabbing the tray of potions. "I'm gonna go and put these back in my vault. We don't want anyone else messing with magic right now." They both headed towards the front door, until someone knocked on the door. Regina and Snow exchanged glances of confusion, as Snow went to open the door.

"Um, hello?" she asked, looking at the man in front of her. He was early thirties, chocolate brown hair, styled in a swooping cut. He had light brown eyes, which at the moment seemed to be very concerned.

"Uh, hi," he said, nervously looking down. "My name is Finnick Robinson. I'm looking for my daughter. Her name is Ivy."

"Your daughter?" Snow asked, as she ushered him inside.

"Uh yes. I was told by Belle that my daughter was planning on going on a mission…" he trailed off, as he saw the concerned looks on both Regina and Snow's faces.

"What? What happened?" he demanded. "Where's Ivy?"

"When exactly did you get the message from Belle?" Regina asked, feeling a sinking pit on her stomach.

"Um, an hour ago. My phone had broken, so I didn't have it for the last week." Snow closed her eyes, unsure of what to say next.

"Finnick? Is that it?" she asked, bracing herself.

"Yes?" he asked, looking increasingly desperate. Snow bit the inside of her lip, hoping he would react well.

"Ivy decided to go to the Enchanted Forest. She went with Emma, the Gold, as well as two other kids."

"She what?" Finnick asked, running a hand through his hair. "Well, I need to get her back. She doesn't know the dangers-"

"Flynn?" came a voice from the lawn. Finnick turned around, giving the woman a confused glance.

"Mulan?" Snow asked, leading the way out into the yard. The warrior simply nodded, but her eyes never left Flynn's. Or Finnick's.

"I'm sorry. But I really don't know who you're talking about," Finnick said, eyes clearly confused. He took a nervous sip from his water bottle.

"Like hell you don't," Mulan half spat.

"Okay," Snow said, putting herself in between the two. "Look obviously there's things we need to talk about. But, we need-"

"Look out!" Regina yelled, pushing Snow out of the way. A large branch flew across the yard, crashing next to the doorway. Snow screamed again, as the rest of the tree followed. All four of them scrambled inside the house, having to dodge the branch blocking their way. But, that did not spare them from one of the most bone chilling roars ever spoken.

"Ogres," Snow whispered, closing her eyes.

"I got this," Regina said, stepping back outside.

"Where are you going?" Snow hissed, trying to pull the other woman back into safety. But, she lost her grip.

"Regina, wait," Snow said, jumping out after. Regina readied herself for a moment, before lifting her hand. A steady stream of purple magic shot out, shooting towards the approaching ogre. But, the orge didn't even flinch.

"What?" Regina asked, shock completely dazing her. The ogre continued towards the house, vibrating the ground around it. Snow was almost knocked off her feet.

"Regina, get away," Snow shouted. "Don't try to figure it out right now!"

"Where?" Regina shouted back, as the four of them began to retreat. "In case you haven't noticed, we don't have anywhere to go."

"Go to town," Snow said. "Hopefully we can draw it away." The huge stomping of feet sent them all scrambling again. Mulan led the way, sprinting away from the house. But, as if in sync and planned, both she and Finnick said, "I have an idea!"

* * *

 **More on the prompt next time. Sorry for the lack of update last week. Oops.**

 **Next time… As the town is attacked by the ogres, Mulan faces emotional turmoil with Flynn.**


	16. The Search - Part 3

The Search - Part 3

"You wanna share that brilliant idea with us?" Snow asked, leading the group further away. They ran into town, leaving the ogre to wander.

"Distraction," Finnick explained, unsheathing his sword.

"Huh?" Regina asked, as they stumbled up the steps to Granny's. Everyone tumbled inside, and Regina quickly sealed the door.

"Are you sure that will work?" Snow asked, thinking back to Regina's lack of effect on the ogre a few minutes ago.

"Hopefully," Regina muttered, not exactly lookin hopeful.

"How do you know about the distraction?" Mulan asked, half glaring at Finnick. He gave her a nervous look.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he said, actually looking genuinely confused.

"Like hell," Mulan spit out. "If you don't know anything, or don't remember, how do you know how to defeat an ogre?" Snow watched the exchange, her gaze switching from Mulan to Finnick. Or wait, did Mulan say "Flynn?" Oh… My… God. Flynn. As in Rachel's father? Snow was visibly gaping as she finally realized what was going on.

When Mulan glanced over, she realized that Snow had connected the puzzle pieces.

"Can you two wait and sort out your couple problems?" Regina asked sarcastically, working to reinforce the spell she was working.

"I…" Finnick said, as Snow physically dragged Mulan over next to the jukebox.

"He's Rachel's father isn't he?" Snow asked, actually more of a statement than a question. Mulan gave a barely perceptible nod.

"Of course he is," Snow said, not looking forward to adding even more onto the family tree. It already looked like a forest.

"Not that he seems to care," Mulan muttered, giving him another hard stare.

"He doesn't remember," Snow reminded her. Mulan rolled her eyes.

"The curse was broken wasn't it?" she demanded.

"Well… yes," Snow said, trying to come up with an explanation. She decided instead to change the subject. She led Mulan back, giving her a warning glance when they approached Finnick.

"Now, what's the distraction?" she asked. Finnick and Mulan shared a glance for a second. His eyes seemed to flash with something, but it was gone just as quickly as it came.

"Ogres are easily overwhelmed," Mulan explained. "They don't do well with lots of action around them. Instead, they rely on their brute strength to scare people away."

"I noticed how the ogre was conflicted when Regina was attacking, and Mulan and Snow were running. My guess is that they cannot make decisions on their own very well." Snow was surprised to see Mulan nodding in agreement.

"He's right," she admitted. Snow nodded, easily taking in the new information.

"That ogre will not attack the town," Mulan explained. "He'll wait for reinforcements."

"Just one question," Regina said, cutting into the conversation.

"Where the hell did the ogres come from?"

* * *

"How did you learn to use a bow?" Ivy asked, as Rachel skillfully shot at the target in the tree.

"Practice," the savior replied, flashing her a grin. Ivy rolled her eyes.

"Well, while we're waiting for the adults to figure out a way to get us back, we have to get food," Ivy said, taking the bow.

"Now, how do I work this thing?" she asked, plucking at the string.

"Okay, I found some berries," Henry announced, coming back with a small container of berries.

"Great," Ivy said, trying once again to aim the bow.

"I found a small cottage," Henry said, pointing north. "There might be some provisions there," he suggested. He set the berries down a few feet from Ivy's target tree.

"You making any progress?" he asked, as she closed one eye, trying in vain to aim. She finally released, sending the arrow in a diagonal direction. It promptly hit Henry's small container of berries. The arrow shot through, sending Henry's half an hour of work down onto a nearby rock. Ivy shot him a guilty glance.

"Sorry," she apologized, shooting him a sheepish smile. Rachel stepped up, redirecting the bow yet again.

"Trust yourself," she said. "And don't tense up so much. That will just lead to tiredness." Ivy nodded determinedly, pulling the string back again. Henry wandered off, stepping back into the forest. He began kicking some small stones around, tuning around the rest of the world.

"Henry?" Henry nearly jumped straight into a thorn bush.

"Jeez Rachel," he said, laughing good-naturedly. She grinned too, stepping further towards him.

"Where's Ivy?" he asked, looking around for the brunette.

"Target practice," Rachel said, shaking her head in amusement. "Once she almost hit me, and I was to her right, I decided I should probably go…" They both laughed. But for Henry, he was thinking about something different.

"This is the first time we've been together since the library," he commented, raising his eyebrow. Rachel looked down, red beginning to show. He leaned in slightly, meeting dark brown eyes. She shrugged, raising her eyes to meet his. It was her way of saying "yes."

Henry leaned in slightly more, so they were mere inches apart. He studied her face, still scratched from the whole tree incident. He was surprised by her next actions. She leaned up, pressing her lips against his. He was so surprised, he forgot to react for a few seconds.

But, as she began retreating, he finally regained his senses. His arm naturally went around her neck, as he began to take the lead.

"Hey Rachel, I think I-" Ivy stopped short when she saw the two. They had broken apart the second she started talking, but she still saw plenty. Rachel cleared her throat, and looked away. Henry just looked like he'd been caught in the headlights of a car. It was all just a bit too much for Ivy. She burst out laughing, unable to contain herself. Even when the two of them were trying to regain their dignity, she was gasping for breath, trying to get a grip on herself.

"It's not funny, Ivy," Rachel said, glaring at the brunette.

"No, no it really isn't," Ivy said, talking through her giggles. "But it really is." Rachel just rolled her eyes, sensing that Ivy was going to take full advantage of this.

"Look, why are you here?" she asked. Ivy bit her lip, managing to keep a straight face.

"Uh, I finally shot the arrow into the correct tree. Not on the target. But hey, at least I hit the tree."

"Hm," Henry muttered, leading the way back into the clearing. Just as they were entering, so were the adults.

"Oh, hey guys," Rachel said, sitting down a rock. "You guys get anything?" Emma nodded.

"Gold was able to secure a bean for us. So, we have twenty four hours to find Rapunzel. But we need to get back to Storybrooke as soon as possible."

"Yeah, for Operation Save Storybrooke," Henry announced. Emma shrugged, accepting the name.

"Okay. Operation Save Storybrooke it is then."

* * *

 **Next time… While the heroes in the Enchanted Forest struggle to find Rapunzel, Storybrooke prepares for a full scale attack**

 **NightLightning21**


	17. Temptation - Part 1

Temptation - Part 1

"Are you thinking about Gideon?" Gold asked, approaching his wife. Belle smiled ruefully.

"I wish. I'm worried about what's going to happen to Storybrooke," she admitted. He nodded in understanding.

"I worry too. But right now, we need to focus on Rapunzel." Belle rolled her eyes in frustration.

"Rumple, it's the entire Enchanted Forest," she shot back. "She could be anywhere." Rumple knew she was only being like this because she was worried about Gideon. He certainly was.

"I know," he said. "But, she could be the key to defeating Gothel." Belle hesitantly looked up at him.

"Earlier, you said that you'd had experiences with Gothel. When?" she asked. Gold chuckled softly.

"I've met Gothel a number of times. She was in an… alternate version of the Enchanted Forest. When she first came to me, she was asking about the Guardian. She wanted to know exactly how to find one."

"Guardian?" Belle questioned.

"The Guardian is someone who is destined to carry dark magic. Well, they're a little bit like saviors. In fact, the Guardian is the one destined to hold the power of the Dark One." Belle raised her eyebrows at the last statement.

"Is that so?" she asked. He nodded, already seeing where she was going.

"Belle… the Guardian, well it's incredibly complicated. Trust me, right now the dagger cannot be gotten rid of so easily." Belle nodded, shrugging.

"Rumple, I trust you. Truth be told, I think you're doing a pretty good job with the dagger right now."

"Blood ties," Rumple muttered, eyes narrowed in concentration.

"Rumple?" Belle asked, sensing that her husband was no longer listening. He seemed to be whispering to himself, trying to figure something out.

"The dark castle," he suddenly blurted out. "I know how to find Rapunzel."

* * *

Regina knew something was going on with Mulan and Finnick. But, currently, she couldn't care less.

"Look, look," she shouted, trying to catch the attention of the townspeople. The ogre had fled last night, unable to break through the barrier by itself. But, reinforcements would come soon.

"How do you know the ogre is gone for good?" Leroy demanded. Regina fought to keep her face neutral.

"The ogres are not gone. They're coming back. And we need a plan to stop them. Okay? Now, for some reason, I have no effect on the ogres." The people became uneasy at this.

"What do you mean?" Granny asked, bow ready in hand.

"Well, I think it's perfectly obvious what it means," Regina snapped back. She almost flinched as Granny's eyes narrowed.

"I'm sorry," she apologized. "I'm just… feeling uneasy without magic to help defend." She looked down, surprised at her sudden confession.

Granny's eyes actually seemed to soften at this. She felt a small surge of pride for the queen. Yes, she'd done things in the past. But, she had… evolved since then.

"Okay Your Majesty," she said, standing up straighter. "I'll support you all the way." Regina smiled at the confident show of support.

"Thank you," she said, sharing a smile with the older woman. "Now, we need a long term plan for the ogres." She trailed off, hoping that someone would have an idea. A glance at Mulan and Finnick told her they were already thinking.

"Um, if anyone does have an idea, please do not hesitate to approach any one of us. And, stay in town. We don't know when the next attack will happen." The town seemed to take it, and began to slowly disperse.

"Do the terrific two have any ideas?" Regina asked Snow, gesturing to Mulan and Finnick.

"It's weird. Mulan hates him. He likes her. And they work together like they've known each other for years." Snow looked at David, waiting for his opinion.

"He likes her?" he asked, staring at the two in confusion. Snow rolled her eyes.

"Yes. Can't you see it?" David just dumbly shook his head. Snow fought the temptation to roll her eyes.

"Look at the way they interact. It's clear that he is totally willing to follow her. I don't know. The way they talk to each other. It's clear that there's a unique relationship there."

"Has Mulan told you how they met?" David asked. Snow just sighed.

"Mulan hasn't told me much of anything. She just admitted that Finnick is Rachel's father."

"What about Rapunzel?" David asked. Snow frowned, and thought about it for a second.

"I'm not sure. Mulan told me that she met Finnick or Flynn or whatever he's called...anyways, she said she met him while searching for Rapunzel."

"Wait, Finnick/Flynn entered a relationship with Mulan, while searching for his…" David trailed off. "Were Rapunzel and Finnick married?" Snow shrugged, not knowing one way or the other.

"And Ivy is also Finnick's daughter."

The sound of Mulan clearing her throat behind them stopped their conversation mid-flow.

"Finnick and I may have come up with a plan. But, it will require a portal. And a lot of planning."

"We need to move the ogres," Finnick explained. "Regina is the only one in this town with magic right now. And, something obviously happened to make her magic harmless to the ogres."

"What about Gold, or Emma? Or even Rachel? Could we get a message to the Enchanted Forest?" Regina asked. Mulan shook her head.

"No, we can't distract them from finding Rapunzel. She could be our only hope of stopping Gothel for good. For now, the ogres are just a test. One from Gothel."

"Well, it sounds like we at least have a plan," David said, trying so hard to be optimistic.

"Hopefully the ogres will hold off their attack for a little while. Gothel must have gotten beans or a wand somewhere. And hopefully, she'll need another to transfer the other ogres."

"Yeah, now, we just need to defeat some ogres." David smiled at the group.

"Or, you could just ask me to do it." Everyone whipped around to see a shadow among them. Gothel.

"I have a proposal for all of you."

* * *

 **Hopefully, updates will continue every Tuesday. Let's just wish upon a star.**

 **Next time… With the fate of their families in their hands, Gothel offers the heroes an offer they just might not be able to resist.**

 **NightLightning21**


	18. Temptation - Part 2

Temptation - Part 2

Gothel made a circle around the group, seemingly trapping them within it. David and Snow glared at her, fire in their eyes. However, looking at Mulan, well they seemed like innocent puppies.

The warrior looked like she ready to strangle Gothel, not matter the consequences.

"You don't have any deal we would want," Mulan spat. Gothel gave her a surprised look.

"My my. You haven't changed a bit. And, how is your daughter?" She tilted her head, waiting for the reaction. Mulan practically exploded, running towards her, and half bowling her over.

"Shut up," she yelled, throwing Gothel to the ground. Gothel simply smiled. With a wave of her hand, she disappeared, and reappeared a few feet away.

"Well then. You still have the same temper you once had. Seems a shame. I would have thought a family would have slowed you down." This time, both Snow and David had to physically hold Mulan back from making another attack. Finnick just seemed plain confused.

"Shut up," Snow practically snarled, holding Mulan back yet again. "What do you want?" Gothel smiled, sensing a chance to pitch her idea.

"You can have your little family. In fact, I will make you a deal that says I cannot harm your family in any way." Everyone was now glaring at her suspiciously.

"Oh please, like you would ever agree to that," Regina retorted. "You seem to take pleasure in giving other people pain." Gothel simply smiled.

"Maybe so. Maybe not. But regardless, I do have a proposition."

"And what would that be?" Snow asked. Now she had them. Right where she wanted them.

"I can kill Emma and Henry within the next minute if I want to."

"If you lay a hand on them, you will wish you never lived," Regina threatened. "And, when Hook gets back from finding Merida, he will also kick your ass."

"And why is pirate dear on his way to find the little redhead?" Gothel asked, trying to tip her own play.

"Like we'd tell you," Regina said, desperately wanting to incinerate the witch. "Now, just tell us what the hell you want."

"It's really quite simple. I need you to back off of Rapunzel. Give me Rapunzel and Ivy. And the rest of your family will go free."

"Are you crazy?" David demanded. "You really think we'd just hand over two innocent people?"

"You did before," Gothel shot back, relishing the flashes of pain that ghosted over both David and Snow's faces.

"We would never give you them," Regina said, stepping forward threateningly. But, in her mind, a seed of doubt had planted itself.

"Take some time to think it over. By all means, I'm not going anywhere." Gothel smiled, before waving her hand, and disappearing.

* * *

"Can she really kill them?" Hook asked, eyes widening in fear. Regina nodded slowly, hating that she had to.

"Gothel wouldn't just make empty threats. I'm sure she was something there. Something that will be able to kill them."

"But… but Gold is there. He's the bloody dark one. Surely he can do something." Regina shook her head.

"Gothel has developed some sort of potion. That disables the magic of anyone she chooses. I'm guessing, she can disable Gold and Rachel's magic." Hook clenched his hand, shaking his head.

"We have to get them back," he announced. Snow just shook her head. There was no way.

"Hook, the only way we have to get them back… is to give Gothel Ivy and Rapunzel."

"I don't care," Hook snapped. "I'll do anything to get Emma back."

"Like hell you will," Finnick instantly refuted. "Ivy is my daughter. You won't be doing anything with her." Hook glared at the other man, both unwilling to stand down.

"Hook, what would Emma want?" Regina asked, softly. Hook turned towards her, the fury dissipating from his eyes.

"I don't know. But, I can't lose her."

"And Finnick can't lose Ivy," Snow defended, looking Hook square in the face. "We will not take her deal." Hook sighed, knowing she was right.

"Where's Merida?" Snow asked, looking around for the queen. She was nowhere to be seen.

"Aye, she's with Granny. Getting a room at the moment." Hook looked over at Regina.

"Do you really think she'll be able to help?" he asked. Regina could do nothing but shrug.

"I don't know. Hopefully."

"Well, at least we know what Gothel wants. And, we can stop her from getting it," Snow said, looking determined. "She has no reason to harm our family. Unless we do something. So, when we make our move, she won't be expecting it."

"Let's go find Merida," Regina suggested. "We can work with her to create a plan. Because right now, Gothel is inactive. We have time. And we will get them all back. No matter what." Everyone nodded in agreement. They began heading towards the diner, away from the forest. But, Mulan hesitated for a second. She'd been playing the game for long enough.

* * *

"You can come out you know," she said, waiting for the arrival of the witch.

"You haven't lost your touch. I'm impressed. Been a long time, Mulan." Mulan just rolled her eyes, as Gothel stepped out from the trees.

"What are you doing here?" She unsheathed her sword, ready for a fight.

"Please, put the pointy stick down. I'm not here to kill you. I just need a little help from you."

"Why the hell would I help you? You destroyed my life." Gothel laughed, and sniffed.

"Oh please, I did no such thing. All I did, was relieve you the burden of your daughter. You never wanted her anyways." Mulan narrowed her eyes, forcing herself to keep calm.

"You have no idea what I want," she shot back. "Rachel is my daughter. I know that." Gothel just rolled her eyes.

"Regina is more of a mother to that girl than you ever were. And, ever will be." Mulan ignored the part of her that believed the witch. She refused to listen.

"You think I don't know that?" Mulan was seriously getting ready to stab this witch.

"Fine, but if you don't want to help. Then, I will be forced to take action." Gothel suddenly appeared right in front of the warrior, shoving her hand into her chest. Mulan gasped, and grimaced in pain as Gothel pulled her heart out.

"Ahh," Mulan bent down, breathing heavily.

"Now, let's get to work."

* * *

 **Updates might be a little less frequent nowadays. I'm trying.**

 **Next time… WIth Mulan now under Gothel's control, she is forced to help Gothel achieve her true mission. Kill the savior.**


	19. Temptation - Part 3

Temptation - Part 3

* * *

Snow was bone tired. She felt like she couldn't even move. Neal wandered over, climbing onto the couch next to her.

"Hi, Mama," he said, crawling onto her lap. Snow smiled. Neal was almost five now, and he was growing quickly.

"Where's Henry?" he asked, looking around for his favorite playmate. Now, how exactly was she gonna explain this?

"Henry had to go away for a time. He'll be back soon." Neal seemed to take it easily. Just wandered off to find a book. Snow watched him go, feeling forever grateful for the tiny hint of domestic life.

"You're worried, aren't you," David said, moving to sit next to his wife. Snow nodded quietly.

"About Emma?" Another nod.

"Emma has always found power in the mantle of the savior. It's always been a reassurance to her. That she was good."

"Snow, Emma was always a hero. Even when she didn't know she was a savior," David pointed out, trying to provide reassurance. Snow shrugged, thinking again of the "Dark Swan."

"Emma wasn't always meant to be the savior. Remember? She had such a potential for darkness as well. What if… what if she falls into the darkness again? David, we don't know how she's coping." Snow sighed in exasperation. For the entire situation.

"Look, good will always win out over evil. Yes, it's a battle. But we will win."

"David, what does it matter if we win?" Snow asked, all her hidden fears and frustrations rising to the surface. She knew she was being unfair, but couldn't bring herself to care.

"What do you mean?" David asked, blue eyes clearly puzzled. He had no idea what she was talking about.

"Ever since the curse, it has been one bad thing after another. So, even if we win this battle, there are more. There are _always_ more. There's always someone else who wants to ruin what we've built. Someone who wants to destroy the light. It just seems like the fate of this family."

"Then we won't let it," David instantly responded. NO! He refused to believe that this would be their lives forever.

"Things will change. I promise. Meanwhile, the only thing we can do is focus on the present." Snow smiled slightly.

"I guess you're right," she admitted, pulling him in for a hug. "I'm sorry." David just shook his head.

"It's understandable. It does feel like we're fighting an uphill battle at times. But, we can still live. No evil can take away our love. Trust me," he pleaded.

"Of course I do. After all, you'll always find me," Snow said, smiling again. David chuckled, thinking of their first meeting.

"Always," he promised.

Snow felt a buzz in her pocket and pulled out her phone.

"Regina?" Snow sat up. "What's going on? Really? Mulan found something? Of course, we'll be right over."

* * *

12 hours earlier…

Mulan silently cursed Gothel as she stepped through the door.

"You've gone quiet," Gothel noted, stepping in after. Mulan wanted to roll her eyes. Though, she'd been ordered against it.

"There's not much I want to say to you," she said, unable to keep the spite out of her voice.

"Well, that's a shame. Are you sure? We could have the mother to mother talks." Mulan swallowed, her anger coming to the surface again.

"Well, you would need to decide if you truly do feel like a mother. After all, abandonment is such a hard topic."

"I didn't abandon her," Mulan muttered, leading the way further into the room.

"Really?" Gothel asked, feigning surprise. "Hm, maybe I don't recall correctly. Did you not put her in the portal first?" Mulan swallowed again.

"Whose fault is it that I didn't follow." She glared at the witch. Gothel gave her a hurt look.

"Why, you cannot assume it was my fault. You had the chance to follow. But, you hesitated. That's why she is no longer your daughter." Gothel smiled sweetly.

"Why don't you just tell me what I need to do, rather than annoying me and making me want to kill you even more," Mulan suggested, in a dry tone. Gothel tutted at her disapprovingly.

"All this anger inside you. It's not good for the soul." She smirked at the warrior and led them deeper into Regina's vault. There was something here that she needed. Something to make everything fall into place.

"Start searching," she commanded. "It should read 'removal.'" Mulan didn't even bother fighting, instead, she began searching the room.

* * *

"So, this is the dark castle?" Rachel asked as the entire group approached the fortress.

"Indeed," Gold answered, already feeling at home. Funnily enough, so was Belle. She hadn't been back since… Well, a long time.

"So, we can really find Rapunzel in here?" Emma asked. Gold simply nodded, leading them into the main room. Everything seemed to be untouched. Well, guess that was good.

"We can't," Gold corrected her. He pointed at Ivy. "She can." He went to the center of the room, bending over to pick up an old staff. Emma recognized it immediately.

"Is that?" she asked. Gold simply nodded. He handed the old staff to Ivy.

"Now, I recommend that everyone but Ivy and Rachel leave for the time." One pointed look later, and they were alone in the room.

"Okay, I need you to focus. If you do, you'll find Rapunzel." Ivy nodded, gripping the staff tightly.

"So, what do I do?" she asked.

"Focus on your mother," Gold explained. "Try to remember every detail you can. Think about where she is. About seeing her." Ivy nodded, closing her eyes to concentrate.

The stick began to glow, yellow sparks leaping off.

"Woah. What's going on?" Rachel asked.

"Long ago, I enchanted this staff to find people. The only catch is that you have to be blood-related. It is a type of blood magic. When I enchanted it, I also allowed Neal to find a hidden door. Right here in this castle."

The stick began glowing even brighter, the sparks circling Ivy.

"We're almost there."

* * *

"Found it," Mulan called, seeing removal written neatly on the bottle. She picked it up, and handed it to Gothel. The witch smiled in triumph.

"What is it for?" Mulan asked, looking at the clear liquid. It literally looked like water. Some magic.

"It's a very powerful spell," Gothel said, uncorking it. "Something that will give you everything you deserve." Mulan backstepped before she was forced to stop.

"Don't worry, dear. You won't be hurt."

"What does that do?" Mulan asked again. Gothel smiled again.

"It allows a person to rip out a heart." Mulan coughed to cover her surprise.

"What?" she asked. "Why would you need that? You can already do that."

"Well, it's not for me," Gothel explained. "No, I cannot be the one to do it. It's for you in fact. The only person who can rip the heart out of the savior. Her mother."

* * *

 **Whew, I'm back. Updates once a week once again**

 **Next time… With Mulan now tasked with killing Rachel, a decision is made about bringing the heroes home.**

 **R &R**

 **NightLightning21**


	20. Deceitful Hearts - Part 1

Deceitful Hearts

Regina paced around the diner, waiting for Snow and Charming to arrive.

"Hey, you're disturbing my lunch rush," Granny complained, waving her hand in front of the mayor. Mulan shot her a sympathetic glance, as Regina paid no attention.

The two women waited for a few more moments before Snow and David rushed in.

"What? What's wrong?" Snow asked, breathless from running.

"Woah, hold on," Regina said, putting a steadying hand on Snow's shoulder. "What's the rush?" she asked. Snow gave her a disbelieving look.

"You said that Mulan found something. So, what's wrong? What happened?" Snow demanded. Regina raised an eyebrow.

"Why do you always assume something's wrong?" she asked. Snow sat down on one of the barstools.

"It's Storybrooke," she muttered.

"So?"

"So it's a magnet for trouble. When you call and tell me you found something, it's safe to assume that it's bad." Snow gave Regina a look.

"Alright alright, whatever. Anyways, this time, we actually have good news." Regina gave Snow a smug look.

"So there." Snow rolled her eyes, as Merida entered the diner.

"Hello everyone," Merida greeted.

"Can we skip the small talk?" Regina asked, making sure everyone was paying attention. Merida sighed, but fell silent.

"So what's happened?" Charming asked, appearing from the bathroom. Regina waited a moment to start talking.

"Well, as you all know, we've been searching for a way to defeat Gothel. And, Mulan was reading the ancient texts about the powers of the savior. Apparently, all we need is-" Regina was cut off by Hook rushing into the diner.

"Sorry I'm late," he muttered. "Got caught in the hour of too many cars."

"It's just called the rush hour," Charming pointed out. Hook just shrugged, looking confused.

"Are we done?" Regina asked, dryly. Hook nodded at her to continue.

"Anyways, as I was saying, Mulan has found the answer we need to defeat Gothel." Regina gestured for Mulan to step forward. The warrior did so hesitantly.

"Yes, I was reading an ancient script prophesying the power of the savior. Now, it says that there is a way to vanquish any evil this realm has seen. With the power of two saviors, the light magic that they possess will be strong enough to take down the greatest evil."

"Uh, how is that possible?" Hook questioned? "I mean-"

"We know the problem, Hook," Regina said. "Finnick is currently working on getting everyone back here." Mulan was silent for a second, before voicing her concerns.

"There's one problem," she said. Merida looked up from her conversation with Snow to listen.

"I can't translate the actual instructions. It's an unknown language to any of us. So, unless we have someone who knows it, it won't be of any use." Regina narrowed her eyes, thinking.

"Belle," Hook suggested. "Give it here," he said, holding out his hand. Mulan handed him the script, to which he found the instructions. He squinted at it, trying to see it clearly.

"I think I've seen this before. Belle was looking into old Arendelle books, and I think this language may have been in there." He handed the script back to Mulan.

"But you're not sure?" Snow pressed. Hook looked flustered for a second.

"Well, no not completely. But, why does it matter? We can bring everyone back, and then we'll have Belle and Emma and Rachel. What's the problem?" he asked. It was Merida who spoke up.

"Because, we sent them there to find Ivy's mother, and see if she knew how to defeat Gothel. If we bring them back, the spell may fail anyway. If we don't, we may have lost our chance to defeat Gothel right now."

* * *

"Hey guys, can you wait up?" Henry pleaded, struggling to breathe. He collapsed against a tree, gasping for air. Ivy and Rachel both slowed and jogged back. Neither one had broken a sweat.

"How are you both so fast?" he asked, sitting down for a rest.

"I ran track for four years," Ivy answered.

"And I grew up in a forest," Rachel finished. They both grinned at each other. Henry just rolled his eyes.

"Not as easy for the writer huh?" Rachel teased. But, she also held out her arm and allowed Henry to get some help up.

Emma and the Golds appeared through the trees a few minutes later. The stick was still hovering in the air, edging them on further.

"We should keep going," Emma said, leading the way down the path. She almost screamed though, as her phone rang suddenly. She pulled it out of her pocket, glancing at the caller i.d.

"Hook?" she said aloud, confusion evident. She pressed the answer button, listening for a voice.

"Swan?" Hook said, unable to hear anything but crackling.

"Killian?" Emma asked, barely able to hear him. The line kept glitching out. She really needed to update her service.

"We… you… come back… way… defeat… Gothel… don't… need… find… Ivy's…" Emma shook the phone trying to clear up the signal.

"Hook? What's going on?" She held her phone up.

"Need... home… found… defeat… spell… savior… two… scroll… translate." Hook suddenly cut out, and Emma's phone turned off.

"What? What happened?" she asked, turning her phone back on. Rumple snorted with amusement.

"What happened, Ms. Swan is that you were trying to communicate across realms. Also known as a fool's errand. I'm surprised you made a connection at all."

"It's Mrs. Swan," Emma snapped.

"What?" Gold asked.

"My name is Mrs. Swan. Please, use it correctly," Emma muttered. Gold just sniffed and turned away. He was whispering in Belle's ear, probably telling her some weird spell.

"Listen, we have to get going-" Emma was cut off why the ground suddenly coming alive.

Rachel and Henry shrieked simultaneously as the ground seemed to slide away.

"What the hell!" Ivy exclaimed as she was thrown onto the ground.

"Look!" Henry shouted above the wind. He was pointing upwards, towards the sky.

What appeared to be a tornado was striking down towards them. Rachel crawled out of the way of a crashing tree branch, heading towards the other kids. Rumple and Belle clung to each other as the twisting mass made it's way close.

"Is that… purple?" Emma shouted above the twisting wind. With squinting eyes, everyone saw that she was indeed correct.

"Calm down," Gold told everyone, standing straight up. "Don't worry. It's magic. And I have a feeling on where it's going to take us."

* * *

 **Well, I will apologize for the lack of updates. I'm hoping but not promising to pick it up. Hopefully two-three chapters a month.**

 **Next time...**

 **With Gothel's distraction successfully working, it's time for Mulan to fulfill her mission.**

 **R &R**

 **NightLightning21**


	21. Deceitful Hearts - Part 2

Deceitful Hearts - Part 2

Mulan sat down at the table, Gothel sitting across from her.

"Did they buy it?" Gothel asked, raising an eyebrow. Mulan swallowed and stared into the witch's steady gaze. It was unflinching.

"Yes," she forced out, feeling a squeeze in her chest. Gothel smiled, and revealed her heart, clutched in her right hand.

"Don't try to fight it, dear. It simply won't work. No one and I mean no one can stop the influence of the heart." Mulan didn't reply. She wouldn't give her the satisfaction of seeing her defeated like this.

"Now, everything is coming into order. Once you kill the savior, I will finally have the key to destroying light magic. Once and for all." A look at Mulan revealed a stoic face.

"Now go onlittle warrior. Go and kill me a savior."

* * *

They were in Granny's when it all happened. The Charmings were just having a cup of coffee when the sky seemed to darken rather quickly. Like a storm that was approaching a little too fast.

"David," Mary Margaret said, looking out the window. David looked up from his pancakes and saw what his wife was looking at. A large gathering of clouds was stopping right in front of Granny's.

David could actually feel the tension in the air. Ruby came out of the kitchen and quickly noticed what was going on as well.

"What.. is that?" she asked, looking at what was seemingly forming a tornado. The clouds curved around each other, twisting until they formed a funnel shape. The sky seemed to darken around the funnel as if the energy in the sky was getting sucked in.

The world suddenly seemed to electrify, as the funnel cloud slammed down just outside Granny's diner. Lightning clawed at the sky and David was almost blinded for a minute.

"Get out!" Mary Margaret yelled, pushing the diner door open. The few customers ran out behind her.

By the time she was outside, it was like nothing had happened. The sky was blue again, with just a few white puffs floating around. Yeah, everything was normal. Well, everything but the smoking hole in the ground. It was maybe half a foot deep, with dust still rising from it.

Yet it was still obvious what or rather who was there.

"Henry!" Mary Margaret exclaimed, pulling the boy out from the smoke and haze. Henry stumbled out, a cut on his cheek and fairly dazed.

Rachel came next, nursing a swollen arm, with cuts around her shoulder. Apparently falling directly onto pavement wasn't good for the body. Ivy was the best out of them, with just a bruised eye.

Rumple and Belle came out together, with Emma following last.

"Hey guys," Emma said, stumbling to her feet. She flinched as she put weight on her now injured ankle.

"You're… here," Mary Margaret said, enveloping her daughter in a hug. Ruby meanwhile began to shepherd the rest of them into the diner. The three kids stumbled together, with Rumple and Belle trailing behind. Emma stayed behind for a moment to talk to Mary Margaret.

"What happened to you guys?" Ruby asked, sitting them all down at a booth. It was Ivy who answered.

"Well you know, portal travel is fairly rough on the skin. You know, takes the moisture out of your skin and stuff." She relaxed into her seat, gingerly touching her bruised eye.

Ruby scurried off to get some ice for that injury, giving the weary travelers a rest. David and Emma were talking outside, probably calling the other people. These next few hours were not gonna be fun.

"When did you guys get back?" Mulan asked as she entered the Charming loft. She was the last one to arrive, with everyone else already seated. She took a spot next to Rachel and Henry and waited for someone to explain.

"We got back an hour ago," Rachel told her. Mulan nodded.

"Okay, now that we have everyone here, we can start planning," Regina said, standing up.

"Now, first the reason why we brought you back. We used the Apprentice's wand to bring you back. Because we no longer need Rapunzel to help us. Mulan found an old script. A spell really. One that Belle knows how to translate. Now, it says that with the combined force of two saviors, any evil can be truly destroyed." She nodded at both Emma and Rachel.

"This is our chance to defeat Gothel once and for all. Now, according to the script, the only thing we need that we don't have is the Author's quill. But, we're already working on trying to fix it."

Everyone in the room felt a stab of hope. Even if the odds weren't exactly in their favor, they had a chance. And when people from Storybrooke had a chance of winning, they usually did. Everyone was talking excitedly except Mulan. The warrior sat, stone-faced, in her spot. She had a look on her face that looked very much like misery.

"I've… I've got to go," she finally said, getting up and exiting the diner without another word. Everyone stopped talked when they heard the door closing. Rachel and Henry exchanged glances, both with confused looks on their faces.

"Is something wrong?" he asked, still looking out the door. Rachel just shrugged. But after a minute, she realized she should probably go after her.

"I'll just… be right back."

* * *

Rachel searched for a good five minutes before she found Mulan. Her mother was sitting on a park bench, clearly distraught. She was also deep in thought, as Rachel was actually able to approach her before Mulan noticed.

"Mulan?" she asked, coming up to face the warrior. Mulan looked up and saw who was talking.

"Rachel?" she asked. Confusion and a hint of panic flashed in her features before she blinked and it was gone.

"What's wrong?" Rachel asked, tipping her head. Mulan didn't answer for several seconds.

"Nothing. I'm fine," she said, then grimace slightly. This didn't go unnoticed by Rachel of course.

"You're not though," she said, looking her mother directly in the eyes.

"I'm sorry," Mulan said. "I'm so sorry." Before Rachel could respond, Mulan had flicked forward her hand, and suddenly held her beating heart in her hand.

"I'm sorry."

* * *

 **Just a few more chapters. Maybe two more.**

 **Next time… The heroes of Storybrooke are faced with an impossible decision that could change their town forever.**

 **R &R**

 **NightLightning21**


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